Commentary: Florida Becomes 23rd GOP State To End Extra $300 Unemployment Benefits

Piece by piece, Republican governors are dismantling the political and economic apparatus constructed during the coronavirus pandemic — and their states are thriving because of it.

The latest to go is a $300 weekly federal unemployment payment, with Florida becoming the 23rd GOP-run state to eliminate the handout that many blame for continued stagnation and shortages in the labor market.

The state’s Department of Economic Opportunity announced it would withdraw from the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program beginning June 27, Fox Business reported.

The news came Monday on the heels of a dismal Labor Department report that revealed just 266,000 jobs were added to the economy in April.

That figure is well below the one million jobs some analysts were predicting, and far too few to complete the target of two million jobs President Joe Biden hoped to hit in his first 100 days in office.

While the problem of joblessness is multifaceted, many contend that the issue isn’t too few jobs, but too many people receiving more money to stay home.

This federal subsidy coupled with state unemployment benefits that average about $330 per week amount to out-of-work Americans making $32,000 annually — twice what they would earn working a minimum wage job.

Florida’s weekly jobless benefits top out at $275, so cutting federal payments will have benefits.

However, fewer will likely rely on those benefits with the summer