NAACP calls progress on Budget Deal an important step; implores action on unemployment benefits

Washington, DC – In response to the Senate moving forward on a long-term budget deal, the NAACP released the following statement:

“Congress is taking a positive step in the right direction by moving forward on a budget deal,” stated Lorraine C. Miller, Interim President and CEO of the NAACP. “However, we are still deeply concerned that the emerging deal fails to extend long-term unemployment insurance. Millions of out-of-work Americans depend on the safety net of unemployment insurance, especially in this season of giving.”

“We applaud Congress for rising above partisan politics and averting a government shutdown,” stated Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, Sr. Director of NAACP Economic Department. “However, this deal’s failure to include legislation that extends long term unemployment only further weakens our country’s most economically vulnerable. I urge Congress to advance legislation that places the ‘opportunities deficit” ahead of the ‘fiscal deficit’ and that includes creating – not blocking – pathways to economic security and a growing diverse middle class.”