Congress Speeds Passage of Aid To Unemployed: Hill Speeds Passage of Aid to Unemployed
Congress moved with unaccustomed speed yesterday toward enactment of antirecession legislation authorizing an estimated S6.5 billion in increased aid next year to the nationÛªs growing number of unemployed.</br></br>Administration aides warned that President Ford regards some sections of the legislation as excessive, and Assistant Secretary of Labor William If. Kolberg said Mr. Ford ÛÏhas some serious doubts as to whether he would want to sign" the larger of the two authorization bills.</br></br>The President nevertheless asked Congress to appropriate $4 billion of the new aid for the jobless right away, saying that is all that is needed and can he spent ÛÏat this timeÛ anyway, and the House Appropriations Committee included the S4 billion in a supplemental appropriations bill it approved last night.</br></br>Congress was thought likely to give final approval to both pieces of authorizing legislation today, and congressional aides said the House may pass Die appropriations bill as well and send it to the Senate.</br></br>Tlie congressional action came as the Commerce Department reported that housing starts sank to an eight-year low last month, an annual rate of 990.000 as against 1.G8 million in November, 1973. The housing industry has been one of the hardest hit in the recession. (Details on Page F10).