DeSantis says Florida needs to borrow federal money for unemployment budget

Reporter: Sara Girard Writer: Jack Lowenstein
Published: Updated:
Credit: via WINK News.

As unemployed Floridians revise their budgets to live without the extra money from the federal government, the governor gave us a peek into how the state will pay for the president’s new proposed boost in unemployment benefits.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday the state’s best option is likely to ask the federal government for a loan.

President Donald Trump wants all states to pay for a portion of the extra unemployment money, but DeSantis confirms Florida’s budget is too tight.

If the president’s executive memorandum goes through, states would have to pay $100 out of an extra $400 dollars weekly to the unemployed. The federal government would pay for the rest.

So the state is looking to get a loan from the U.S. Department of Labor in order to pay for it.

DeSantis says a problem might be whether what the president wants the state to do is even legal.

“You know there’s only so much you can do through executive action,” DeSantis said. “We’re now in the point where like presidents just do that, but I wanna make sure that there’s no legal risk for us. If someone were to challenge this, then, we’d be left on the hook.”

Florida Department of Economic Opportunity also said it’s reviewing the memorandum to determine what options are available.


For ongoing updates and information on unemployment, follow WINK News Investigative Reporter Sara Girard on Twitter and Facebook.

She also updates the WINK News FAQ: Unemployment Resources page as information is received.

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