|
 Obama, who is on vacation in Hawaii, and his advisers have been
pressing Congress to extend the federal aid to help out-of-work
Americans who are searching for jobs and avoid damage to the
economy.
"The president will talk about the toll that allowing unemployment
benefits to expire has had on 1.3 million Americans, and he'll warn
of the negative consequences for the broader American economy if
Congress fails to act quickly on this urgent priority," the White
House said in a statement.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, has vowed to bring to
a vote a bill extending federal unemployment insurance benefits as
soon as Congress returns from its holiday recess on January 6.
The federal jobless aid has been renewed every year since 2008. Many
Republicans oppose an extension of jobless benefits, arguing the
program was always intended to be temporary. They have also said an
extension would add to the federal deficit unless it is offset by
spending cuts elsewhere in the budget.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; editing by Andrea Ricci)
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