Unemployment benefits to continue through November
July 23, 2010
The California Employment Development Department announced Thursday that it would immediately begin processing retroactive benefits for more than 400,000 residents, following President Obama’s signing of an unemployment benefits extension bill. [Los Angeles Times]
The House voted 272 to 152 early on Thursday to extend unemployment insurance through November for those who have not exhausted up to 99 weeks of aid. The payments are retroactive to late May.
Republicans had stalled the $33.9-billion package for weeks, arguing that aid should be paid by making cuts elsewhere. Democrats have maintained that jobless benefits represent emergency spending that is not traditionally offset with cuts.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke testified before Congress this week that the unemployment rate is expected to remain higher than normal for the next several years.
The national jobless rate continues to hover around 9.5 percent.
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