Mirroring the pattern set by the federal bailout of the airline industry, the D.C. Council yesterday passed a $100 million loan package to aid businesses suffering from the economic fallout of September 11---that failed to address the problems of workers laid off from these businesses. Union leaders and their political allies were outraged by the narrow defeat of a proposed amendment that would have set $10 million of this money aside for workers. The D.C. Mayor's office announced that it will be considering proposals to waive the one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits, and plans to ask the Labor Department to extend unemployment benefits beyond the current 26-week limit.
See "D.C. Council Passes Loan Aid for Firms Weakened by Attacks", SEWELL CHAN, The Washington Post, October 2, 2001