Below is excerpted from an article on the Associated Press today. It goes on to say that Bush is refusing to lead the way in getting it cleared up so these people can get paid. It\'s money we put in the system ourselves! It seems congress and the president were too busy taking away our rights to make sure people had money to eat.

1M to Lose Unemployment Benefits

By LEIGH STROPE
AP Labor Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jo-Anne Hurlston can\'t find a job after nearly six months of searching, even with her master\'s degree and experience in education, human resources and the hospitality industry.

She\'s one of nearly 1 million unemployed workers across the country who will start losing jobless benefits three days after Christmas because Congress failed to grant an extension before leaving for the year.

``All the money that\'s being spent on homeland security and we\'re left stranded,\'\' said Hurlston, 47, a single mother with a 12-year-old daughter. ``If they want more money for homeland security, we have to be able to work to pay taxes.\'\'

Congress passed a 13-week extension in federal benefits in March, on top of the maximum 26 weeks that laid-off workers typically can receive through states. But the extension benefits start expiring Dec. 28. Without congressional action, an estimated 820,000 people will lose benefits that day, with an additional 95,000 each week thereafter.