In West Virginia, the governor announced he was ending extra federal pandemic jobless benefits. Soon after, the resort he owns saw an uptick in job applications
REFILE - CORRECTING HEADLINE Jim Justice II, Governor of West Virginia, speaks during a roundtable discussion with U.S. first lady Melania Trump, local and state leaders at Cabell-Huntington Health Department in Huntington, W.V., U.S., July 8, 2019. REUTERS/Al DragoWhen West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, R, announced his decision last month to cut federal unemployment benefits for his state's jobless residents, he pointed to what he said was a plethora of openings for those who needed work.
"Fortunately the applicant pool has started to improve, so we're very happy about that," she said in an interview in late May, attributing the shift in part to the cutoff of extra federal payments and more widespread vaccinations. "I think that people are preparing, if they are under West Virginia unemployment, to get back into the workforce."
Early studies last summer found that extra benefits had not affected employment rates or rehiring, or found no evidence that they did so, but Republican officials argue that offering aid that in some cases outmatches the wages people can draw in the job market depresses the supply of workers. The growing divide over workers and incentives picked up steam with the release of an April jobs report that fell well short of many economists' expectations.
"It therefore looks like politics, rather than economics, is driving decisions regarding the early ends to these programs," the note said. In New Hampshire, members of GOP Gov. Chris Sununu's family are investors in the Waterville Valley Resort, a ski resort in the White Mountains with a full slate of summer offerings including boating, tennis and golf. Sununu served as chief executive there until late 2016, a few days before he took office.
"Absolutely no one at Waterville Valley communicated to the Governor about ending federal unemployment," Ben Vihstadt, a spokesman for Sununu, said in an email. "Gov. Sununu is not involved in the operation of Waterville anymore. The people Gov. Sununu heard from were countless small-business owners on Main Streets across the state who could not find enough workers to staff their small businesses.
Noah Bookbinder, president of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said it is a "huge problem" for government officials, including governors, to be making policy decisions that could affect their personal holdings. "The governor is not involved in the day-to-day operation of Arthur Companies," Nowatzki said in an email. He pointed to Burgum's previously stated reasons for ending the federal programs in North Dakota, including "an abundance of job openings with employers who are eager to hire."
"Gov. Reeves decided to end participation in the supplemental based on the relevant economic statistics," Martin said, pointing to Mississippi's unemployment rate as now approaching pre-pandemic levels. "Gov. Reeves believes the key to success for Mississippi workers is good work at a good job. He understands that jobs have not always been easy to create in Mississippi, and he knows that more than most states, we needed to get people back to work before their jobs disappeared.
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