PHOENIX — On Friday the Ducey administration announced that it is partnering with President Trump and his administration to extend unemployment benefits to nearly 400,000 Arizonans. Trump issued an Executive Order extending the benefits after Congress failed to.
Arizona is one of the first in the nation to make these benefits available to unemployment recipients.
Under an executive order signed by President Trump last weekend, Arizonans are eligible to receive unemployment benefits of $540 a week, with $300 per week provided through funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Trump’s orders made unemployed Americans eligible for an additional $400 a week through the end of the year.
According to the Governor’s Office, Arizona expects quick approval of the application.
In addition to receiving $540 per week going forward, payments will be made retroactively for each week after July 26 where additional federal payments lapsed due to congressional inaction.
“I’m grateful to President Trump for stepping up and taking action to help Arizonans most in need,” said Ducey in a press release. “As a result of the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of Arizona families and individuals are facing lost employment through no fault of their own, and these dollars will provide some immediate help. Now, we need members of Congress to work together, do their job, and extend these benefits for families relying on them.”
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law by President Trump on March 27th, 2020, added an additional $600 federal stimulus payment to weekly benefits starting on March 29 and expiring July 25. Under the President’s executive order, the enhanced payments, which come from FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, are extended until December 6 or until dollars set aside in the fund run out.
