SENATOR KENNEDY APPLAUDS PASSAGE OF DISASTER UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE FOR KATRINA VICTIMS CALLS ON HOUSE TO PASS THIS EXTENSION

Washington, DC – Today, the Senate took the first necessary step to help those left unemployed by the Gulf Coast hurricanes by passing an extension of Disaster Unemployment Assistance benefits.Senator Kennedy issued the following statement calling for prompt action to build on this victory and give jobless storm victims the help they deserve: “Today's victory is an important one, but there's still much more work to be done. We must act quickly to help the 165,000 storm victims that will lose their unemployment benefits in March. The House of Representatives should follow the Senate's lead and immediately pass an extension of Disaster Unemployment Assistance, and both houses must take prompt action to extend unemployment benefits for other storm victims as well. Time is running out -- we must act now to make sure that workers who are still struggling to recover from these devastating storms are not left behind again.” ###