Gov. Maggie Hassan is urging Congress to renew long-term unemployment benefits that expired for 1,350 out-of-work New Hampshire residents last week.
Hassan says several hundred more will lose their benefits each month if Congress does not renew the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program.
Senate Democrats have pushed for a three-month extension of the program, but Republican leaders say the cost – roughly $6.5 billion – needs to be offset in the budget.
In a letter to Congressional leadership, Hassan says the program provides a "critical lifeline to thousands of New Hampshire residents."
She says for each month the program is not available, another 500 to 600 Granite State citizens will exhaust regular unemployment insurance coverage.