Austin, TX -- This past month, more than 1 million Texans filed for unemployment, more than the total number of Texans who filed for unemployment in all of 2019. The Texas Workforce Commission failed to upgrade its “outdated and broken” unemployment benefits system. Abbott’s hand-picked Commissioners were “well-aware of [these] shortcomings.” This failure leaves unemployed Texans “locked . . . out of the system.”

Unemployment by the numbers:

In the past week alone, 313,832 Texans filed for unemployment, with hundreds of thousands more unable to.

In fact, 3,100,000 of the 3,500,000 calls to the Texas Workforce Commission last Tuesday were met with a busy signal. These are only the numbers for last Tuesday.

More than 1 million Texans filed for unemployment, more than the total number of Texans who filed for unemployment in all of 2019.

In the meantime, Governor Abbott has done “a poor job of executing [his] state[‘s] response” by issuing confusing, late guidelines and failing to effectively use the powers of his office.

Without a major overhaul from Abbott, Texans will continue to go hungry, be unable to pay their rent or mortgage, and be stuck in busy signal limbo for their unemployment benefits.

Texas Democratic Party Communications Director Abhi Rahman issued the following statement:

“Abbott continues to mismanage the crisis, this time for our working Texans and ensuring that we have the resources necessary to provide unemployed Texans the relief they need. Without immediate overhaul from Abbott, Texans will continue to go hungry, be unable to pay their rent or mortgage, and be stuck in busy signal limbo for their unemployment benefits. Texans need real leaders right now. Abbott must change course immediately or Texas will never recover from this virus.”