President Obama touted the “real progress” made by the economy following Friday’s strong jobs report and called on Congress not to undermine that improvement with another showdown over government spending.
“We’ve got an opportunity to keep up this progress if Congress is willing to keep our government open, avoid self-inflicted wounds and work together to invest in the things that support faster job growth in high-paying jobs,” Obama said in brief remarks about the economy at the White House Friday before an event to introduce his nominee for defense secretary.
The Labor Department reported earlier in the morning that the economy added 321,000 jobs in November, the best monthly gain in several years and well above expectations.
Obama noted that the U.S. has created 2.65 million jobs in 2014, the most of any year since the 1990s, and that the private sector has added jobs for a record 57 months in a row.
The president compared U.S. growth favorably to that in other advanced nations, such as European countries and Japan.
If the economy continues to expand at the current pace, and “if we make sure that those companies who are seeing profits … that they’re also making sure that their workers are sharing in that growth,” Obama said, “the country could enter a ‘virtuous cycle.'”
Funding for the federal government runs out Dec. 11 if Congress doesn’t take action. Republican leadership in the House has moved to authorize funding and avoid a shutdown like the one that took place in fall 2013. That interruption in many government services dented consumer confidence.
House Speaker John Boehner cast some skepticism about the overall state of the labor market in a statement Friday morning. “While it’s welcome news that more people found work last month, millions still remain out of work, and middle-class families across the country, including my home state of Ohio, are struggling to get by on wages that haven’t kept pace with rising costs,” the Ohio Republican said.
Boehner also faulted Obama’s policies, blaming him for increasing regulations and increasing uncertainty for businesses.
Obama said in his brief remarks that his legislative priorities remain “exports, infrastructure, streamlining our tax code, immigration reform, giving minimum wage workers a raise.”
