Washington, July 23: US President Barack Obama has signed a bill to restore unemployment benefits for about 2.5 million jobless Americans, despite fierce opposition by Republicans.
The benefits bill for the long-term unemployed was passed by the US House of Representatives on a vote of 272-152 on Thursday.
The 34-billion-dar bill had cleared the Senate on Wednesday after weeks of debate.
“Americans who are fighting to find a good job and support their families will finally get the support they need to get back on their feet during these tough economic times,” Obama said in a statement.
“Small businesses are the engine of job growth, and measures to cut their taxes and make lending available should not be held hostage to partisan tactics like those that unconscionably held up unemployment insurance,” he added.
The development followed a report by the Labor Department in which it said initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased by 37,000 to a seasonally adjusted 464,000 last week.
Almost 8.5 million Americans lost their jobs in 2008 and 2009, Bloomberg quoted Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke.
He also noted “unusual” uncertainty in the US economy and said the central bank would be ready to act if more stimuli were needed.
——–Agencies