Carney: Administration 'absolutely expects' Congress to extend jobless aid --- White House press secretary Jay Carney said Thursday the administration "absolutely expects" Congress to take up an extension of unemployment benefits upon returning from the holiday, after leaders on Capitol Hill signaled they would not address the issue before the winter recess. -- "Unfortunately, the House is leaving tomorrow — they've made clear that they go on recess for the holiday tomorrow," Carney said. "And if Congress does not act in time before those benefits expire, we would absolutely expect them to act as soon as possible upon their return." -- "If it was the right thing to do when President George W. Bush did it, extended unemployment insurance benefits at a time when the unemployment rate was 5.6 percent, and at a time when the average unemployed person was unemployed for 17 weeks, then it's the right thing to do today, as it has been over the past several years since the Great Recession occurred," Carney said. -- On Wednesday, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said he had told White House chief of staff Denis McDonough that he would entertain extending the benefits if the president presented a plan that met certain standards. - More, Thehill