Washington (AP) President George W. Bush is about to ensure that millions of laid-off workers keep getting unemployment checks for a while longer.

Bush is expected to sign the extension of jobless benefits into law as early as today. He leaves this morning for a summit of the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Lima, Peru.

Earlier in the year, Bush expressed doubts about further benefit extensions, but he came to support the legislation as new figures showed new claims for jobless aid had reached a 16-year high.

In what could be its last vote of the year, the Senate approved a measure yesterday that would provide up to three months of extra benefits for those whose unemployment benefits have run out or are about to expire. The House passed the bill in October.

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