Jobs-relief bill set to be enacted

Emergency aid for many Americans hit by the recession is almost assured a fast passage as Congress returns from its Lincoln Day recess. Both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill have been pushing for a program whose chief obstacle was the threat of a presidential veto. When the administration climbed aboard the jobs-and-relief bandwagon last week, it cleared the way for the legislation, Monitor correspondent Julia Malone reports.

Although details are still being worked out, the program is expected to include some public-works jobs as well as humanitarian aid, such as food for the needy. The White House price tag, $4.3 billion, would be lower than the $5 billion to $7 billion that Democrats have been seeking.

House Speaker Thomas P. O'Neill Jr., who met with top White House officials last week, has for months been predicting that President Reagan would produce his own emergency jobs bill. If the two sides reach final agreement, it will be the latest of several joint efforts by the two parties. In the lame-duck Congress, the Democrats and White House joined hands to pass a 5-cent-a-gallon gasoline tax. More recently Democrats and the GOP have signed off on a major social security reform package.