White House eyes executive action to keep unemployment benefits flowing
by Nihal Krishan, Economic Policy Reporter |
| September 15, 2020 06:30 AM
The White House is considering an executive action to provide more money for unemployment benefits, following the exhaustion of funds made available by President Trump's previous administrative maneuvering.
"We’re looking at all possible avenues to continue giving relief to Americans from an executive standpoint, in lieu of Democrats agreeing to a legislative deal," said Ben Williamson, a senior adviser for Mark Meadows, President Trump's chief of staff.
Trump, through a memorandum in August, made available up to $44 billion from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund to provide assistance to workers sidelined by the pandemic in the form of a $300-a-week federal boost to unemployment benefits, to be matched by $100 from state governments. The additional jobless aid is known as the Lost Wages Assistance.
Over $30 billion of those dollars have already been distributed. With money running low, the agency has said that total funding will be limited to six weeks, in total, for every state that has applied so far, a spokesman told the Washington Examiner. The administration has had to start cutting off certain states, including Texas, Iowa, Montana, Tennessee, and New Hampshire.
more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house-eyes-executive-action-to-keep-unemployment-benefits-flowing
