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Financeunemployment

These are the states that accepted Trump’s offer for $300 enhanced unemployment benefits

By
Lance Lambert
Lance Lambert
Former Real Estate Editor
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By
Lance Lambert
Lance Lambert
Former Real Estate Editor
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August 18, 2020, 2:59 PM ET
Updated September 8, 2020, 7:24 PM ET

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President Donald Trump signed a memorandum earlier this month that grants $300 enhanced weekly unemployment benefits to people out of work if their state opts into the program.

As of Monday, 46 states have been approved to send out $300 per week in federal funds on top of regular unemployment benefits, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

States that have been approved

  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan 
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • New Hampshire
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming

Meanwhile, South Dakota became the first state to turn down the offer, citing a strong economic rebound and no need for the additional aid. The June unemployment rate in South Dakota was 7.2%, compared a 11.1% national jobless rate. FEMA has yet to announce the status of the remaining 42 states.

The $300 weekly enhanced unemployment benefit replaces the $600 enhanced benefit that expired the week ending July 25. The White House opted to replace the $600 enhanced benefits through a memorandum after negotiations for a broad stimulus bill between Democratic and Republican leaders broke down earlier this month.

The $44 billion allocated by Trump for the enhanced unemployment benefit is estimated to last five weeks, through the week ending Aug. 29, according to a report by the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. And there still remains the possibility the memorandum will face a legal challenge.

The White House has already made it clear the benefit will be paid retroactive to the week ending Aug. 1. And these $300 enhanced benefits will go only to jobless Americans who are already receiving at least $100 in state benefits. That is a smaller pool of recipients than the first round of enhanced checks, which weren’t limited in this manner.

Initially, Trump said he’d grant $400 enhanced weekly unemployment benefits to out-of-work Americans if their state picked up $100 of the tab. But after that announcement, states made it clear they couldn’t afford to throw in more money. As a result, the White House allowed states to count $100 of existing benefits as their match to get the $300 weekly federal benefit. Thus the enhanced benefit is now $300 per week, not $400.

About the Author
By Lance LambertFormer Real Estate Editor
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Lance Lambert is a former Fortune editor who contributes to the Fortune Analytics newsletter.

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