Bush Signs Bill Extending Jobless Pay

This had to be a great relief to a great many people who have been laid off. President Bush has signed into law a bill that Congress approved to keep unemployment checks flowing to jobless Americans through the holiday season. It would be tough enough being laid off at Christmastime but to be without any income would be even worse. Thankfully, President Bush signed the bill just before leaving for Peru to attend the 21 nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperative forum.

The Senate approved the bill after an earlier report, saying that new claims by laid-off workers for jobless aid had reached a 16 year high and the number of people looking for work had surged past 10 million. Now, that is a lot of people out of work. The White House had opposed broader legislation containing the benefits extension and urged passage of the new version.