Saturday’s expiration date for unemployment benefits directly impacts 1.3 million Americans still struggling as a result of the recession. There will be ramifications for the rest of us as the cutoff weighs down the overall economy. Sen. Bernie Sanders is the cosponsor of a bill to restore the benefits. In Vermont, state officials sought federal disaster assistance to help cope with an ice storm that glazed much of New England during the holiday week. Keeping with an annual tradition, Vermont’s congressional delegation invited young Vermonters nominated to the nation’s military service academies to a Saturday reception held in their honor at the Statehouse in Montpelier.

Unemployment

Long-term unemployment is a lingering effect of the 2008 recession. There still aren’t enough jobs out there for the 11 million Americans who are actively seeking work. As a result, 37 percent of all unemployed Americans have been out of work for more than six months. Sanders on Friday discussed the situation on MSNBC. Watch the interview