Missouri to begin paying $300 unemployment supplement under Trump executive order – By Jacob Barker (St Louis Post-Dispatch) / Aug 25 2020
JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri could begin paying an extra $300 to those on unemployment as early as the end of the week, the state announced late Monday.
The new program was authorized by an executive order issued by President Donald Trump two weeks ago after Congress failed to reach a deal extending the $600 federal unemployment supplement that expired at the end of July. The new program will use as much as $44 billion from a federal disaster response fund, money that usually goes to communities hit by hurricanes, floods or wildfires.
The Missouri Department of Labor said it applied for and received $200 million for the new program, called Lost Wages Assistance. The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved Missouri’s application, along with those of Colorado and Utah, on Aug. 16.
Missouri was one of the first states to apply for the funding, which will allow the state to almost double its $320 maximum weekly unemployment benefit payment, Gov. Mike Parson said in a statement.
