STATEMENT Rescission of American Rescue Plan Act Grants is a Major Setback for Unemployment Insurance Michele Evermore, Senior Fellow Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Department of Labor sent a letter to state unemployment insurance (UI) agencies, requiring them to return any unspent funds allocated in the American Rescue Plan Act to combat fraud, enhance timeliness, and increase equitable access to benefits. Academy Senior Fellow Michele Evermore — who served in the Office of Unemployment Insurance Modernization at the U.S. Department of Labor, which was responsible for implementing the plans to spend this funding — released the following