$12 million funding award comes through the Dislocated Worker Grant program to provide emergency employment to people who lost work because of COVID-19 pandemic
Senator Murray fought to include $345 million in nationwide funding for the program in the CARES Act
Senator Murray: “I’m going to keep fighting to get more critical federal aid to people in need in Washington state and across the country”
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Senate labor committee, announced that $12 million dollars in funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act will be going to the Washington State Department of Employment Security through the Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) program to assist workers who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic and response, by funding re-employment and training activities. Senator Murray fought to include $345 million for the DWG nationwide in the CARES Act.
“I am glad we’ve been able to secure some much needed assistance for struggling workers and families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and response, and I’m going to keep fighting to get more critical federal aid to people in need in Washington state and across the country,” Senator Murray said.
DWGs provide disaster relief employment to people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, helping workers to return to work in a role where they can help to address the impact of the virus within their communities. The grants also fund general employment and training activates. During negotiations for the CARES Act, Senator Murray fought to include increased funding for the DWG program in addition to other assistance for people who lost their jobs because of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as a $600 increase in weekly unemployment benefits during the pandemic and an expansion of eligibility for those benefits.
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