Biden not seeking emergency unemployment extension

The National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) reported that U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen and Secretary of Labor Martin Walsh have sent a letter to Congress announcing that President Biden will not seek an extension of emergency COVID-19 supplemental unemployment insurance programs once they expire on Sept 6.

The programs, which have been in place since the start of the pandemic, provided unemployed workers with an additional $300 per week in supplemental unemployment benefits. 

The Biden administration cited an improving labor market and the unemployment rate as reasons for not seeking an extension of the benefits.

The NLBMDA had expressed concern with possible extensions to supplemental unemployment benefits and has been pressuring the Biden administration and Congress to reject further extensions to the program. 

The NLBMDA also said the release of the letter illustrates the effectiveness of the association as the voice of the entire lumber and building material industry across the U.S.