LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has vetoed a Republican-sponsored bill that would have stopped a $300 weekly federal supplement that is being added to unemployed workers' benefits during the coronavirus pandemic.
The extra payment is due to end Sept. 4 under federal law. The GOP-controlled Legislature wanted to terminate it July 31, saying the money discourages people from rejoining the workforce. Whitmer says the bill would have violated federal law by ending the payment without 30 days' notice.
She also notes the legislation also would not have taken effect until 2022, by which time it would have been moot.
Michigan GOP Chairman Ron Weiser responded to the veto in a statement saying, "After unilaterally shuttering Michigan’s economy over the past year and destroying the livelihoods of countless small business owners and entrepreneurs, Governor Whitmer continues to kick them while they're down. Paying people to stay home and not work while running around the state touting her commitment to small businesses is the height of hypocrisy."
