Unemployment Benefits Extended To November 2010
On 22 July 2010, President Obama signed legislation extending jobless benefits to 2.5 million unemployed Americans only hours after the House approved the bill by a vote of 272-152.
The law applies to out-of-work Americans who have not yet exhausted up to 99 weeks of aid and it will apply retroactively to late May when the previous extension expired. The bill extends the benefits through November 2010.
The bill’s passage ended an extended partisan debate regarding funding for the bill. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) argued that “[u]nemployment benefits are a proven way to boost the economy…” In rebuttal, Republicans railed against the bill as yet another $34 billion increase to the already $13 trillion national debt.
