Gov. Phil Murphy says that the state will ask the Trump administration for federal money to grant $300 extra per week for those receiving unemployment benefits.

Murphy faced criticism for waiting to apply. He said that he was waiting on further guidance from the feds and had hoped that Congress would reauthorize the previous $600 weekly unemployment stipend.

"While we will investigate every possible penny that we can get into the pockets of hundreds of thousands of New Jersey families, only reauthorizing the $600 federal weekly unemployment would provide the security that so many of our residents and frankly fellow Americans need at this moment,” Murphy said Wednesday.

President Donald Trump signed a memo to offer the additional benefit on Aug. 8. The federal government is drawing money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Disaster Relief Fund.