Culver urges extension of federal jobless benefits

DES MOINES – Gov. Chet Culver on Monday urged Congress to act quickly to extend federal unemployment benefits so 76,000 idled Iowa workers and their families don't lose needed assistance beginning Feb. 28.

Also, the first-term Democrats sidestepped question about his slumping approval rating, saying he's focused on pulling the state out of a global recession and helping communities recover from the state's worst natural disaster in 2008.

“I've never paid much attention to polls,” Culver said in response to a Des Moines Sunday Register poll of 805 Iowans that indicated 36 percent of the participants approved of the job he is doing, while 53 percent disapproved and 11 percent were undecided. The governor's approval rating was 40 percent last November and 60 percent a year ago.

“It's about getting the job done every day and there's a long time between now and November,” added Culver, who noted Iowa's leading economic indicators are now positive and he expects job-generating state and federal stimulus and recovery investments will bolster Iowa once the construction season is in full swing.

In the meantime, he said immediate federal action is needed to help Iowans who have lost their jobs due to the global recessionary “meltdown” and now are at risk of losing unemployment insurance benefits if a federal extension is not implemented this month.

“It is time for action in Washington,” said Culver, who pledged to deliver the message to Iowa's congressional delegation “in the strongest possible terms.”

Iowa Workforce Development Director Elisabeth Buck said the state's 26 weeks of jobless insurance benefits are slated to expire Feb. 28. After that, roughly 10,000 Iowans will exhaust their jobless benefits each month through July and the overall impact will rise to 76,565 Iowans by year's end.

“It's a trickle down effect if these benefits are cut,” she said, noting more Iowans will have to turn to federal food stamp aid or state human service assistance if their jobless benefits are not extended.

“These are dollars that are being spent in Iowa communities around the state,” Buck said. “This is a very important economic recovery tool that is being utilized on Main Street to pay for rent, groceries, school supplies, shoes – these are important dollars to Iowa families but also to Iowa communities.”