New Hampshire To Accept President Trump's Plan To Extend Unemployment
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire is accepting President Donald Trump's plan to boost unemployment benefits during the coronavirus pandemic, with the state's share amounting to less than $10 million, Republican Gov. Chris Sununu said Tuesday.
A federally funded $600 weekly benefit expired in July and Congress has been unable to agree to a broader new coronavirus relief plan. Trump signed an executive order Aug. 8 to extend the benefit but cut it to $300 or $400 a week, depending on which plan governors choose.
States are required to chip in $100 per claimant to be able to send out the higher amount. Sununu said anyone who already is getting $100 from the state will get an additional $300 without the state having to pay more. That amounts to about 95% of recipients, and for the rest, the state will bring them up to $100 so they can qualify for the additional money, he said.
The payments will be retroactive to Aug. 1, he said, but will take some time to process. Most recipients should get checks in two to three weeks, he said, but others might wait five weeks.
"Participating in this program will pump another $340 million into the state's economy over the next 22 weeks at a minimal cost to the state," he said.
Since March, New Hampshire residents have collected $1.2 billion in unemployment benefits, Sununu said.
(© Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
