The Federal Emergency Management Agency said that 40 states are now signed up to provide their residents with an extra $300 or $400 in unemployment, the New York Times reported. The benefit was originally envisioned by President Trump as an extra $400 to unemployed workers, with the federal government providing $300 and the states providing $100. But states balked at the additional cost, and now the states’ standard unemployment benefit is counted as their contribution. Workers who are not eligible for at least $100 in unemployment will not receive the additional benefit. So far, only three states, Kentucky, Montana and West Virginia, have decided to supply the extra $100. Vermont’s plan to bring the total payment to $400 is awaiting approval from the state’s legislature. South Dakota’s governor has said the state will not apply. That leaves nine other states that have either not applied or have not been approved: Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, New Jersey, Nevada, North Dakota, Wisconsin and South Carolina. Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina and Wisconsin say they have applied or will apply. Kansas says that it has applied and intends to supply the extra $100 to bring the total payment to $400. Most states won’t be able to start paying the benefit until mid-September or even October. And the payments are expected to last only four or five weeks.
