Boosted Unemployment Benefits Expired Because Daines, Republican Colleagues “Didn’t Do Anything”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, July 27, 2020

Boosted Unemployment Benefits Expired Because Daines, Republican Colleagues “Didn’t Do Anything”

Helena, MT – Senator Steve Daines and his Republican colleagues allowed the boosted unemployment benefits that Montana families have relied on to pay their rent and mortgage and put food on the table to end this weekend because they “didn’t do anything” – choosing instead to take a long weekend and allow the deadline to pass. Upon reconvening today, Senate Republicans announced a proposal which would cut these critical benefits that serve as a lifeline to Montanans who have lost jobs in the midst of this economic downturn.

This continues Daines’ failure to stand up for hard-working Montanans during this pandemic.

In April, Daines voted to cap unemployment insurance, but after Democrats succeeded in expanding the benefits, he was repeatedly caught dishonestly bragging about the policy he had opposed. Instead, Daines has been looking out for his big-money friends – pushing for a corporate slush fund without strong protections, and helping Republicans slip a massive tax giveaway for the wealthy into a relief package.

“Rather than delivering results, Steve Daines and his Republican colleagues are playing politics with this critical support for Montanans,” said MDP Communications Advisor Christina Wilkes. “Instead of fighting for out-of-work Montanans, Daines is looking out for his corporate donors, and supporting a lawsuit that would strike down the Affordable Care Act and its protections for those with pre-existing conditions – all in the middle of an unprecedented crisis.”

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