Nearly Half of States Can't Fulfill Unemployment Requests As states scramble to field a record number <br />of unemployment insurance claims, a <br />Labor Department report has found <br />rampant underfunding. According to the report, unemployment insurance trust funds in nearly half the states were underfunded as recently as February. An unprecedented 6.6 million people filed unemployment insurance claims <br />in the past week. States are supposed to build up their reserves during economic expansions in preparation <br />for recessionary periods. The Labor Department report suggests that many states did not do enough to prepare for even a more mild economic recession. Additional support from the federal government may be needed in addition to the recently passed <br />$2 million stimulus package.
