Senator Charles Grassley tells KCII he supports Governor Kim Reynolds’ decision to end federal COVID-19 unemployment benefits.

The governor recently announced that the state will no longer administer pandemic unemployment assistance or other federal unemployment programs beginning June 13th. The federal program is scheduled to give $300 weekly payments to unemployed workers until September, which Grassley mentions that his party had other ideas in mind, “All Republicans in the Senate in the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill, we had an alternative that would have ended it in July. And probably most of us that voted for that amendment that lost 50-49 on a party-line vote probably thought we shouldn’t have had even until July because the economy is turning around so fast.”

Grassley questions how small businesses can compete against unemployment benefits, and says that the federal government shouldn’t be encouraging Americans not to work. Several states have chosen to end the COVID-19 unemployment benefits, and Reynolds has cited her decision because business leaders have voiced that they can’t find enough job seekers.