FRANKFORT, Ky. — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) pushed Gov. Andy Beshear (D) to apply for the new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program in a letter sent Monday.
What You Need To Know
- McConnell writes letter to Beshear asking him to apply for new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program
- Beshear wasn't aware of process until today
- Beshear has concerns about new benefit
- Seven states have already been approved
When President Donald Trump (R) signed an order extending Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, he lowered the amount to $400 per week and said it required states to pitch in 25 percent.
Beshear was critical of that last part, but it appears the state won’t have to put funding in after all.
McConnell wrote to Beshear, clarifying the governor can either apply for the $300 a week or use some money from the CARES Act to boost the extra unemployment benefit to $400 a week.
“I believe the only way Kentuckians can lose is if our state sits this out altogether,” McConnell wrote in the letter.
Beshear said he wasn’t aware of the application process before Monday.
“I will tell you that I have talked today to about ten other governors and at least three of them knew nothing about this,” Beshear said. “There is a communication issue out there about not only the existence of it, but also the rules that go along with it.”
Beshear said he’ll be happy to apply for the assistance once he gets a chance to see what the application entails.
“I am for the full $600 still being provided to our citizens. If we’ve got a workable way from the federal government to do $300, we’ll do it, we’re just going to understand all of it before we sign on that dotted line,” Beshear said.
The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program initially paid out $600 per week to people who qualified specifically because of the coronavirus on top of the normal payout.
Beshear says he has some concerns about if the new benefit will work properly, but he also says the White House is working with him on it.
A spokeswoman for McConnell’s office said seven states have been approved for the new pandemic unemployment program as of Thursday evening: Missouri, Iowa, Louisiana, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency says on its website it could take around three weeks for people to start seeing the new benefits, but they may be retroactive to Aug. 1.