As North Carolina’s Unemployment Rate Skyrockets, Will Sen. Tillis Support Expanded Unemployment Benefits?

RALEIGH, NC — Piedmont Rising Executive Director Casey Wilkinson released the following statement as the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that North Carolina’s unemployment rate jumped up to 12.2%:

“More than a million North Carolinians have lost their job through no fault of their own, but Senator Tillis is more responsible than any other elected leader for making their struggles even more difficult. Not only did Tillis vote against an extra $600 in unemployment benefits, but he’s also voted to put health care access out of reach for too many, including by refusing to push for an open enrollment period for uninsured North Carolinians during this pandemic. As House Speaker, he also led the way in shrinking the state’s unemployment program that is now one of the weakest in the country. It’s time for Tillis to show the leadership we need during this crisis by pushing for an open enrollment period and ensuring unemployment benefits are extended beyond their current expiration date in just a few weeks.”

About Piedmont Rising

Piedmont Rising is a 501 (c)4 issue advocacy organization built by and for North Carolinians to advocate for lower insurance premiums and prescription drug costs and to ensure that more people have access to safe and affordable health care. Through grassroots organizing, education, and engagement, we are amplifying our health care stories and holding our elected officials accountable to the people, and issues they were elected to represent. www.piedmontrising.org