SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - In a late Saturday night announcement, the Newsom Administration said they will not accept new unemployment claims over the next two weeks. Advocating for his frustrated constituents, Senator Jim Nielsen (R-Tehama) issued the following statement:

"Since the Governor shut down the state's economy in mid-March, approximately a third of California's workforce, or more than 6 million people, have applied for unemployment benefits, according to the California Policy Lab.

"Six months later, more than 1.5 million Californians have yet to receive help. They have exhausted their savings, racked up credit cards and borrowed from anyone willing to lend them money. These people are not numbers or cases; they are our friends and neighbors.

"Now, the failed California Employment Development Department will shut down for two weeks. And they made this catastrophic news public on a Saturday night in hopes that the people won't notice.

"If this closure is to improve services for public benefit, why the late Saturday night news dump?

"This is not right. Government needs to work for its people in time of need. The Governor must step up. The buck stops with him."