Bill Extending Unemployment Aid by 13 Weeks Is Signed by President

President Bush signed legislation late Friday to extend unemployment benefits by 13 weeks, a measure Congress rushed to him earlier in the week to help 2 million jobless Americans--including 600,000 whose benefits would otherwise run out this month.

With the government announcement that the unemployment rate remained at a five-year high of 7.1%, Bush lent an air of urgency to the benefits extension by signing it while aboard Air Force One on his return from California.

At the same time, the President renewed his challenge to Congress to pass his overall economic recovery package by March 20.

“I’m not giving up on the Congress acting for the good of this nation,” he told reporters, noting the alacrity with which the lawmakers had forwarded the jobless benefits bill.

When asked about the fact that he had twice killed unemployment benefits bills after Congress passed them last year, he replied: “I said I want to do it, but I want to do it within the budget agreement.”

Congress overwhelmingly approved the $2.7-billion election-year measure on Wednesday. The bill would add another 13 weeks to the benefits jobless people can receive. Currently, they can get either 39 or 46 weeks of coverage, depending on how high the unemployment rate is in their states.

Without the new extension, jobless coverage for 600,000 Americans would run out just as the presidential primary campaign begins heating up.