South Dakota declined to accept the enhanced unemployment payment President Donald Trump offered through a recent executive order.
Gov. Kristi Noem appeared to be the first governor to decline the enhanced payment.
“My administration is very grateful for the additional flexibility that this effort would have provided, but South Dakota is in the fortunate position of not needing to accept it. South Dakotas economy, having never been shut down, has recovered nearly 80% of our job losses,” Noem, a Republican, said in a statement.
Even though she turned down the offer, Noem praised Trump.
“Despite significant disfunction in Congress, President Trump continues to problem solve and provide great leadership during this recovery effort,” she said.
The president on Aug. 8 signed an order that gave states the option of giving the unemployed $400 more per week, with states paying a quarter of that.
A second option was outlined by the Department of Labor on Aug. 12. That option requires no extra payment, and an adjusted boost of $300 a week.
A Noem spokesman told The Epoch Times via email that the governor reviewed both options.
Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Republican Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, said theyre participating in Trumps program.
“After reviewing in detail all of the federal unemployment aid options presented to me and my team, choosing to give $300 more per week allows us to use the states unemployment trust fund and helps us to best serve Alaskans who need unemployment assistance across the entire state as they weather a very difficult period in our history,” Dunleavy said in a Read More From Source
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