The unemployment insurance (UI) system has been a lifeline for tens of millions of jobless workers and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has pumped hundreds of billions of dollars into the economy.[i] Congress can be especially proud of the federal pandemic unemployment programs it created in the CARES Act and reauthorized through early September 2021. Yet, the unprecedented need for those pandemic programs highlights the historic deficiencies of a UI system that has consistently shut out many jobless workers, particularly Black and immigrant workers, from accessing critical support. UI was designed primarily for white, male wage earners, and has been systematically degraded for decades. Workers urgently need congressional action to rebuild a UI system that works for all.

Workers urgently need congressional action to rebuild a UI system that works for all.