BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — President Donald Trump’s announcement that unemployed individuals would see $400 per week in benefits has been amended by White House officials, according to Forbes. The result is that people in Louisiana may only see $300 in enhanced weekly unemployment benefits.
The President’s original memorandum called for the federal government to cover 75% of a new $400 weekly benefit and for states to cover the cost of the remaining 25% (or $100). There was immediate backlash from state governors who scrambled to figure out how they would come up with the extra funds.
Now, White House officials appear to be tweaking guidance as to not require new money from the states.
White House National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow suggested during a FOX News interview Tuesday that the President’s directive will be amended so that states would not have to come up with additional funds in order for unemployed Americans to qualify for the $300 federal benefit.
“We modified slightly the mechanics of the deal,” Kudlow said. “States can still, if they put another $100 in to raise the benefit more generally, that’s fine. … Any state who put in $100 before, and every state did, they will then qualify for the extra $300.”
This means workers may see a $100 cut from what they anticipated Saturday and a $300 cut from what they saw before the end of July.
BRProud has reached out to the Governor’s Office for a statement.