Ige Waiting On Congress To Act Before Boosting Unemployment Benefits

A program that would have tacked on an extra $100 a week for those left jobless from the pandemic is in limbo after Gov. David Ige struck certain provisions involving federal relief from the state budget Thursday.

A federal “plus-up” of $600 that people have come to rely on is expected to end Friday. Without help from the state, people on unemployment benefits may be looking at increasingly devastating financial situations.

The $100 a week benefit from the state would have come from a $230 million chunk of federal relief funds that the Legislature set aside in June. But the governor wants to wait on Congress to pass another round of stimulus money before he acts.

“If Congress provides no additional benefits, then we could look at doing the additional $100 plus-up that the Legislature has proposed,” Ige said during an afternoon press conference.

Read more: https://www.civilbeat.org/2020/07/ige-waiting-on-congress-to-act-before-boosting-unemployment-benefits/