New York will not pay Trump's promised unemployment bonus

New Yorkers may not expect an additional $ 300 in federal unemployment benefits. At least for now. The state governor has decided not to seek this financial assistance from the government. The publication writes about the reasons for his decision WHEC.

Unemployed New Yorkers hoping to receive the additional weekly benefits promised a few weeks ago by President Donald Trump are out of luck. To make the additional payments possible, New York had to request funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the government. However, State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on August 19 that he would not do so.

As part of the latest stimulus package, the federal government paid $ 600 a week in addition to state benefits to those who lost their jobs during the pandemic.

These benefits stopped at the end of July. When lawmakers in Washington failed to agree on an extension, President Trump stepped in. He issued a decree providing instead $ 400 a week. But with one condition: the states must independently pay 25% of this amount, that is, $ 100 per week, and the rest will be added by FEMA. But according to Cuomo, New York cannot afford it.

“You can't get water out of a stone — that's a fact. Today we have a deficit of $ 14 billion, so we cannot pay for this, ”said the Governor of New York.

The estimated state budget for this program would be $ 4,2 billion.

On the subject: Unemployed New Yorkers can get more than $ 4 thousand benefits: what you need to know

Jennifer Luke of News10NBC asked the governor, "Under this plan, there will be no additional cost for New York City to offer the unemployed $ 300, will you be applying for FEMA funds to fund these benefits?"

In response, Cuomo said that he did not know what the last decision of the feds was and how legal it was.

“I do not believe that the whole mechanism of this executive order is legal. Therefore, I think that all this is an artificial construction, created for political reasons, ”he said.

Cuomo noted that even if the presidential decree is legal, its implementation will require a lot of work. He also made it clear that he simply does not trust the federal agency implementing the program. “I would prefer to deal with the old bookie on the street corner, but not with FEMA,” the governor said.

So for now, unemployed New Yorkers shouldn't expect additional federal payments, at least not by presidential decree.

The situation could change in the next few months if a legislative agreement is reached in Washington to extend the benefits. For those still unemployed, it is recommended that they continue to renew their eligibility weekly from the state.