President signs bill to extend unemployment benefits

After Democrats were once again able to overcome Republican opposition that was holding up unemployment benefits for millions of workers in difficulty, Congress passed an extension of emergency unemployment benefits, and President Obama signed it into law on April 15. From the New York Times: “The measure, which would continue added unemployment benefits and other expired federal programs [such as the COBRA subsidy program] through May, will restore aid to thousands of Americans who had exhausted their benefits or whose eligibility was expiring. The legislation means that those out of work can receive up to 99 weeks of unemployment pay in some states. It will restore benefits to anyone who may have lost pay during a two-week interruption in the program.”