Press Releases
Congressman Jeff Van Drew and Colleagues Urge the U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Acosta to Issue Guidance to Make Essential Federal Workers Eligible for Unemployment Benefits During the Shutdown
Washington, DC,
January 22, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Following up on a letter he sent to New Jersey’s Department of Labor, Congressman Jeff Van Drew, along with Representatives Sherrill, Malinowski and Kim, have requested that the U.S. Department of Labor issue guidance to state workforce agencies to ensure that essential federal workers who have been working without pay are able to access unemployment insurance benefits as soon as possible. Reports from his constituents prompted Van Drew’s initial letter to the New Jersey Department of Labor asking for clarification of federal workers’ unemployment insurance eligibility. The New Jersey Department of Labor responded that federal workers on furlough are eligible, but essential employees that are working without pay are not eligible for unemployment insurance benefits. Today marks the 32nd day of the federal government shutdown, the longest in our nation’s history. In New Jersey, there are over 6,700 federal employees who have been impacted by the partial shutdown. They work on a variety of critical missions and agencies, from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Coast Guard, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Department of Agriculture, to the Fish and Wildlife Service. Jeff Van Drew is the representative for New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District. His office in Washington, D.C. is in Cannon House Office Building Room 331 and his District office is in Mays Landing. Van Drew was a practicing dentist in South Jersey for more than 30 years and was previously Senator for New Jersey’s 1st Legislative District. ### |