LITTLE ROCK, Ark.- Arkansans still waiting for pandemic unemployment assistance, but with every day passing trying to stay afloat jobless is getting tougher.
One small business owner hopes his efforts will grab the governor’s attention and get him the money he said he so desperately needs right now.
“Everything is falling apart,” says Mike, who is waiting on his pandemic unemployment assistance.
It’s a frustrating time for many small business owners like Mike as he works to find ways to grab the attention of our leaders.
“You look at your checking account, and then you look at any emails,” Mike says. “Did they email us again? You call. You call this number they tell you, ‘We don’t know.”
He asked not to use his last name, but Mike says he filed for PUA in March and still nothing.
Holding up his handmade signs for the second day in a row at the State Capitol, he even snapped a picture at the Governor’s Mansion yesterday.
“I just want to bring attention to the governor that we need our money,” Mike says.
Over the weekend, a data breach for the PUA system was announced, causing another slowdown.
On Tuesday, the governor said he wants people to get the money they deserve.
“What’s important is are the two priorities that I said, which is let’s make sure the data is secure,” Governor Asa Hutchinson said on Tuesday. “Secondly, let’s make sure we get these checks out the door.”
Until that becomes a reality, Mike will be making his voice heard as he waits for his pay day.
“We are self-employed,” says Mike. “We will get back to work. We just need the money that we have been waiting on for two or three months.
