Gov. Whitmer’s administration has had weeks to add additional staff or resources to ensure people in Michigan can apply for and receive unemployment benefits during a forced state shut down yet the system is still not working.
April 13, 2020
Governor Whitmer’s Failure to Address Unemployment Website Continues As All State Websites Stop Working
The state of Michigan’s unemployment application system is still not working nearly a month after Governor Gretchen Whitmer expanded unemployment benefits and stated, “This executive order will provide immediate relief to those who can’t go to work.”
Two weeks ago, Whitmer’s administration acknowledged there were problems with the system but as ABC 12 reported Gov. Whitmer “didn’t announce any specific improvements.”
To make matter’s worse WILX reports that “Michigan’s self-employed workers, gig workers, 1099-independent contractors and low-wage workers affected by COVID-19 could start filing for unemployment benefits at 8 a.m., however, the website was down by 9:30 a.m.”
Gov. Whitmer’s administration has had weeks to add additional staff or resources to ensure people in Michigan can apply for and receive unemployment benefits during a forced state shut down yet the system is still not working. It’s time for Gov. Whitmer to stop focusing on raising her national profile in a bid to be the VP nominee and start managing the coronavirus crisis response for the state to ensure all available resources are reaching the Michiganders who need them. – Tori Sachs, executive director of Michigan Rising Action