SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has spurned President Donald Trump’s order to extend federal unemployment benefits by $400 a week, saying that the state does not need the program.
Trump last week attempted to bypass Congress in ordering states to extend additional unemployment payments of up to $400 a week to help cushion the economic fallout of the pandemic.
Under Trump’s plan, the extra unemployment benefit would require a state to commit to providing $100.
It was unclear if Trump had the constitutional authority to extend federal unemployment benefits.
The Republican governor says that South Dakota does not need the extra unemployment benefits.