75,000 in NJ unemployment limbo could get paid next week TRENTON — Nearly 75,000 state residents have been cut off from unemployment benefits that they're due. But state officials say they should start getting payments by next Friday. Gov. Phil Murphy and Labor Commissioner Rob Asaro-Angelo on Friday acknowledged what news organizations across the state, including New Jersey 101.5, have been reporting — that thousands of families have stretched to the financial limit, unsure when their next check would arrive. Asaro-Angelo blamed former President Donald Trump for waiting until the "last moment" to sign the law extending federal benefits, leaving states to scramble to update their systems and wait on clarification on new rules.