Ending Unemployment Payments to Jobless Millionaires Act of 2025
The Ending Unemployment Payments to Jobless Millionaires Act of 2025 would bar the use of federal funds to pay unemployment benefits to individuals whose base-period wages are $1,000,000 or more, and to cover the administrative costs of such payments. It requires self-certification by applicants and verification by state unemployment agencies to determine wage eligibility, and it authorizes audits by the Department of Labor or the Government Accountability Office and recovery of any overpayments. The prohibition would apply to weeks of unemployment beginning after the bill’s enactment. The bill also prevents federal regulators from limiting a state's ability to disqualify someone from unemployment benefits due to high base-period wages, and it defines which programs count as “unemployment compensation programs of the United States.”
Key Points
- 1Prohibition on federal funding for unemployment benefits for high earners: No federal funds (and no related administrative costs) may be used to pay unemployment compensation to an individual with base-period wages of $1,000,000 or more.
- 2Self-certification and verification: Applications must include a form for individuals to certify base-period wages, and state agencies must verify wage eligibility to the extent possible.
- 3Audits and recovery of overpayments: Certifications are auditable by the Department of Labor or GAO, and states must require repayment of any unemployment benefits improperly paid.
- 4Effective date: The restriction applies to weeks of unemployment beginning on or after the enactment date.
- 5State discretion and program scope: The Secretary of Labor cannot issue regulations that would limit a state's ability to disqualify someone based on high base-period wages, and the bill defines what counts as an unemployment compensation program of the United States (including federal employee programs, extended benefits, federal extensions, and other federal unemployment programs).