Obama to make push for restoring jobless benefits

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HONOLULU (AP) — President Barack Obama will press Congress to reinstate long-term unemployment benefits for 1.3 million Americans when he returns to Washington this week.

HONOLULU (AP) — President Barack Obama will press Congress to reinstate long-term unemployment benefits for 1.3 million Americans when he returns to Washington this week.

Obama will host an event at the White House on Tuesday, where he’ll warn of negative consequences for the economy if Congress fails to act quickly.

Under the benefits program, the federal government provided an average monthly stipend of $1,166.

However, an extension was dropped from a bipartisan budget deal struck in December and Republican lawmakers have balked at its $26 billion annual cost.