Federal unemployment benefits are set to expire by the end of the year. The benefits were extended in the wake of the recession, but they have become a statistically significant driver of the nation’s economy, as the more than 14 million jobless Americans use the benefits on items like clothes and groceries. Will the expiration of the benefits have an effect on an already anemic recovery? Sharron Tetrault, a 20-year veteran of the non-profit sector, who has been unemployed since January of 2010 and whose unemployment benefits are set to expire in September, talks about her experience. Mike Munger, a political science and economics professor at Duke University, gives his take on the overall economic impact.
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