I’M GLAD HE CHANGED HIS MIND…. On Oct. 8, the White House was asked whether the president is willing to extend unemployment benefits. Dana Perino didn’t use the word “veto,” but she made it quite clear that the administration opposed an extension.
Fortunately, that opposition didn’t last. The White House signaled its grudging support for the Democrats’ bill a few days ago — provided it didn’t come attached to additional stimulus spending, heaven forbid — and this morning, Bush signed an extension into law.
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.
The Senate approved the bill following an earlier report Thursday 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.
