End date announced for Ohio’s $300 supplemental unemployment payments

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said the state will soon opt out of distributing weekly $300 in federal pandemic unemployment payments.

Participation in the unemployment assistance program will end on June 26, the governor announced during a Thursday afternoon briefing.

“When this program was put in place, it was a lifeline for many Americans at a time when the only weapon we had in fighting the virus was to slow it’s spread through social distancing, masking, and sanitization,” Gov. DeWine said. “That is no longer the case. That is no longer our only tool in this fight. This assistance was always intended to be temporary.”

The governor said the weekly payout, in some cases, is “discouraging” some Ohioans from returning to work.

“All of our data shows that there are ample number of jobs available,” Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said.

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