American Notes Congress

Jobless benefits have come back to haunt George Bush -- and this time the President may find himself unable to worm away from the issue. Last week the House of Representatives passed a bill that would provide up to 20 extra weeks of unemployment compensation to the 2 million people who have run out of unemployment benefits since Jan. 1. Bush signed a similar bill last month, but it never became law because he refused to declare the budget emergency that was necessary for the measure to take effect.

The House passed its latest bill by a veto-proof vote of 283 to 125; the Senate is expected to pass the legislation by a similar margin. Both versions eliminate the need for the President to declare a budget emergency. Its enactment cannot come too soon for the 332,000 workers whose benefits ended in July (the last month for which figures are available), which is the largest monthly total in at least 40 years.