An estimated 7.5 million people will be affected, according to calculations by the Century Foundation, a progressive think tank. An additional 2.1 million unemployed people will lose the $300 per week federal supplement…

NBC News spoke with several households earlier in the summer as more than two dozen states began prematurely opting out of the federal benefits program. The families described desperate circumstances. Months later, how their choices played out offer a preview of what awaits the newcomers.

Despite a labor shortage, they applied for jobs and didn’t get them. They accepted front-line Covid risks to make money. They took lower-paying jobs in a related industry. They helped out, unpaid, with a family member’s business. They filed for community assistance to keep the utilities on and eviction notices at bay.