Rep. Walden urges Gov. Brown to provide Oregonians Unemployment Benefits

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Greg Walden (R-Hood River) sent a letter to Governor Kate Brown urging her to join states like Idaho and Colorado and provide the enhanced unemployment benefits that President Trump recently authorized through an executive order.

Walden started the letter off acknowledging the financial stress a troubling number of Oregonians face as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that the President’s recent executive order will provide needed help to Oregonians and strongly urged the Governor to provide these critical funds to help those in need. 

"I continue to hear from far too many Oregonians in desperate need of help. To assist those facing unemployment, President Trump recently signed an executive order providing additional money for unemployed individuals," Walden wrote. "I urge you to ensure that the Oregon Employment Department (OED) immediately provide these much needed dollars to Oregonians, just like states such as New Mexico, Colorado, and Idaho have done." 

So far this year, Walden’s staff of caseworkers have worked hundreds of cases related to unemployment.  In the letter, Walden shared stories of constituents in need who have struggled to reach anyone at OED. Walden also conveyed his frustrations with OED’s failure to both modernize their unemployment system and to swiftly provide Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits, an enhanced unemployment assistance program that Congress created in March.  

"Unfortunately, it took until August to pay a fraction of the PUA claims that OED received.” Walden wrote. “The delays caused by OED’s failure to modernize the state’s unemployment system has made an already tragic situation in Oregon worse. Oregon received $85.6 million in federal funding under the federal Unemployment Insurance Modernization Act of 2009. As of October 2019, almost the entirety of the funds, $81.7 million, remained unspent. This delay is troubling and projections that upgrades will not be complete until 2025 is unacceptable. I ask that you expedite this modernization project to ensure working infrastructure is in place to meet the needs of Oregonians." 

Walden also urged the Governor to have the state take advantage of the additional $400 a week that can be paid to those receiving unemployment, as a result of President Trump’s  executive order issued at the end of July. 

"As of yet, Interim Director Gerstenfeld has stated that he is unsure whether Oregon will take advantage of this program because of it the “uncertainty” involved in implementation," Walden wrote. "These payments are administered and delivered by the state in conjunction with Oregon’s unemployment insurance system. Oregon has mostly administered the $600 federal benefit from the CARES Act, it should stand to reason the state should be able to handle administration of the $300 benefit regardless of where it comes from." 

Walden concluded the letter recognizing that he and the Governor share the same goal of wanting to help Oregonians and once again urged the Governor to provide Oregonians their unemployment benefits, benefits that other states such as Idaho, New Mexico, and Colorado are providing their citizens. 

"I urge you to take advantage of the President’s executive order and provide Oregonians with the additional federal unemployment benefits they deserve," Walden wrote.

Source: Office of Greg Walden, US Representative of Oregon’s 2nd District.