NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee will provide an additional $300 per week in federal assistance to people who are unemployed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced it has approved Tennessee’s request for a grant to give to people on top of their regular unemployment benefits. The Lost Wage Assistance grants have been awarded to nearly half of the states.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this month making the money available. It was announced as a $400-per-week benefit, but put the burden on the states to pay $100 a week of that amount. The U.S. Department of Labor issued recent guidance saying states would not have to contribute that money.
Trump’s order came after a $600-per-week federal unemployment benefit expired at the end of July, without a new bill for pandemic relief being reached.
