(CNN) Nearly 2 million jobless Americans are set to lose their pandemic unemployment benefits early, with Georgia, Arizona and Ohio becoming the latest Republican-led states to announce they would cease providing enhanced federal jobless payments. "Nationally, there are still 16.8 million workers on one of the unemployment programs, and the nation is still short 8 million-plus jobs from the start of the pandemic." Of particular concern, he added, are the nearly 1.4 million out-of-work Americans who are currently in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Assistance programs. If all Republican governors were to pull out, some 4.8 million workers would be affected, and $29 billion in payments would be lost. Mike DeWine said the federal jobless programs will end on June 26.

Source: CNN May 13, 2021 16:23 UTC