Michigan is waiting on more details about President Donald Trump’s executive memorandum regarding supplemental unemployment payments.
In an email, the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency indicated it is waiting for guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor regarding $400 per week supplemental payments for people on unemployment.
President Trump’s executive memorandum the past weekend came after Congress could not come to an agreement on extending benefits. The additional federal payments of $600 per week ended on July 31. The president’s plan requires states to pay 25% of the $400. He intends to use money set aside for disaster aid. It's not clear whether he has the legal authority to make such a move.
In a statement Sunday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer said, “The president’s recent actions do nothing to protect the millions of unemployed Americans who need to put food on the table for themselves and their families,” adding the plan requires additional money from states that are facing severe budget holes.
Whitmer called on the president to work with Congress on a bi-partisan recovery package. Trump said he issued the executive memorandum because Democrats in Congress are being obstructionists.
