Bush signs jobless extension
Story By: Jamie Smith
Source: AP
The White House says President Bush signed into law a bill that Congress approved to keep unemployment checks flowing to jobless Americans through the holiday season.
Bush signed the bill at the White House just before boarding Marine I Friday morning for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base and a flight to Lima, Peru, to attend the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
Earlier in the year, Bush expressed doubts about further benefit extensions, but he came to support the legislation as new figures showed new claims for jobless aid had reached a 16-year high.
In what could be its last vote of the year, the Senate approved a measure yesterday that would provide up to three months of extra benefits for those whose unemployment benefits have run out or are about to expire. The House passed the bill in October.
Last week, the Labor Department says claims rose by 27,000 to a seasonally adjusted
542,000. That's the most since July 1992.
