FALL RIVER — Rep. Barney Frank said today he is pushing a proposal to use some of the interest the government collects from the financial industry bailout to give loans to unemployed homeowners struggling to pay the mortgage.

The lack of aid to jobless homeowners has been identified as a big weakness in the Obama administration’s plan to tackle the mortgage crisis. A report by a congressional oversight panel said last month that the $50 billion program "was not designed to address foreclosures caused by unemployment," which are now the main cause of default.