DES MOINES, Iowa (KWWL) -- Governor Kim Reynolds is being sued over the decision to prematurely end participation in federal COVID pandemic relief programs in 2021. The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday in a federal court.
The programs provided extra unemployment benefits to Iowans. The state pulled out in 2021, 12 weeks before the benefits were set to expire.
The class action lawsuit says the decision deprived Iowans of needed benefits that they were entitled to. It claims that several thousands of Iowans were impacted by the decision.
On Friday, Governor Reynolds issued a statement in response. Reynolds said, “The federal government doesn’t get to run the state of Iowa or impose policies that damage our economy. Paying people to stay home at a time when there are more jobs available than people to fill them defies common sense. Iowans know there is dignity in work.”
