The House of Representatives on Thursday approved an extra three months of jobless benefits for all unemployed Americans, though the plan is not likely to pass the Senate or be approved by President George W. Bush. After failing to win a veto-proof two-thirds majority on Wednesday, Democrats said they pushed the legislation through to the Senate anyway, on a 274 to 137 vote, to help Americans survive a weakening economy. “The American people are waiting to see if Congress is going to help them,” said House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Democrat from California). But the White House already has threatened to veto the measure, and Senate Democrats have said they will not try to force their Republican colleagues to consider the House of Representatives' legislation. The Labor Department reported earlier on Thursday that the number of people filing new claims for jobless benefits last week increased by 25,000 last week to the highest level since late March. The national unemployment rate in May jumped to 5.5 percent, up from 5 percent in April. It was the biggest monthly gain in 22 years.
