Naples, FL—Today, the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) released a video featuring Governor Ron DeSantis, during which he discusses the impact COVID-19-related policies had on jobs and unemployment in the state of Florida.
In the video, Gov. DeSantis explains that his decision to end the $300 supplemental unemployment benefit early was motivated primarily by local business owners expressing concern over the lack of labor across the state. While initially these benefits were meant to assist Americans during a pandemic-created economic downturn, increased benefits soon became detrimental to the state’s lockdown-free economy.
Gov. DeSantis continues by explaining that unemployment programs should act as a safety net to assist individuals while still encouraging them to return to the workforce. This is also why the governor decided to reinstate benefit qualifications such as proof of actively searching for work. Since Gov. DeSantis’s decision to end unemployment benefits and reestablish program qualifications, there have been nearly 1.3 million new hires.
“Government policies should incentivize individuals to work and be independent. Now there are misfortunes that happen, there are economic downturns that occur, so you want a system to provide a safety net for them. What you don’t want is for it to be the norm, and you certainly don’t want that to be preferable to having a job and being independent,” said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. “We try to structure unemployment in a way that serves the purpose of providing somebody with a safety net, and ultimately we’re trying to give them a hand back into the workforce so that they can be independent.”
Businesses across the country have struggled to hire employees due to the long-term damage of COVID-19-related policies. With the unemployment bonuses’ expiration behind us, it is now time to get all Americans back to work again.
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The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) is a non-profit, multi-state think tank that specializes in health care, welfare, work, and election reform. To learn more, visit TheFGA.org.
