CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Illinois is applying for the extra $300 in weekly unemployment benefits authorized by President Donald Trump earlier this month.
Illinois is being criticized by some for being slow out of the box on this one, but Governor Pritzker said it is moving forward.
“We have begun that process, and indeed it takes a lot of setup on an internal basis for us to move forward with that, and so that’s what we’ve been doing,” he said.
At least 30 additional states have applies for the additional funds or have already been approved.
The money is coming from funds allocated for disaster relief, and the approval process could take weeks.
CBS 2 reported the latest state to receive approval was Connecticut, which received the green light from FEMA on Monday. Another 29 states have also been given the nod from the federal agency. Though it is unclear how many states are currently disbursing the extra benefits, with FEMA officials last week saying that only Arizona had actually begun payment of the extra $300 per week
This comes as Congress has been deadlocked on another relief bill.
Many are struggling following the loss of the extra $600 they were getting each week. According to CBS 2, the aid is geared toward helping the 28.2 million workers who are currently collecting their states’ regular unemployment benefits, which typically replaces only a fraction of a worker’s regular income.