The House bill, drafted by the Republican leadership, was a deliberate sham, providing extended benefits for only five more weeks, through February 2, 2003, but only for workers currently enrolled in the program who have not yet received the full 13 weeks. New claims for extended benefits would be permitted only in three states, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska, which meet specific criteria for high unemployment. The cost of the program, indicating its complete insufficiency, would be only $900 million.

Senate and House Democrats made repeated appeals to the White House to broker a compromise agreement with the House Republican leadership. They offered one concession after another, including accepting the five-week continuation approved by the House, provided that it applied to all unemployed workers, not to those in a few selected areas.

When the House of Representatives met in a pro forma session November 22, to approve last-minute technical changes in the legislation establishing the Department of Homeland Security, several Democrats had threatened to object and torpedo the bill if an unemployment extension was not also put before them. But House Democratic leaders caved in and allowed the homeland security bill to become law in a unanimous voice vote, abandoning one million unemployed in the process.