Congress lets unemployment benefits expire: 'What now' and six other questions

Over 2 million unemployed people awoke Wednesday to the prospect that they may no longer have unemployment checks to help them pay rent or buy food and gas.

4. Hasn’t Congress passed extensions in the past?

Since July 2008, Congress has extended the EUC seven times – generally for three to four months at a time.

The most recent extension was in late July after the program had expired in June. However, as part of that extension, Congress eliminated a health care subsidy (COBRA) that benefited 2 million people and dropped a $25 increase in benefit checks. But, individuals who were eligible for unemployment received checks for the time the benefits were cut-off.

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