Long time gone

摘要

The budget deal that Republicans and Democrats cobbled together in December left several pieces of business unfinished. Among them was the fate of extended unemployment-insurance (ui) benefits. First passed in 2008 and extended several times since, these provide workers with up to 47 weeks of federally funded benefits after they have drawn the maximum their states allow (usually 26 weeks). America's government has enacted such measures in every recession since 1957. The most recent extension expired on December 28th, leaving roughly 1.3m Americans suddenly cut off and setting the stage for a huge political battle early in 2014.