House Speaker John Boehner responded to Friday’s jobs report — 200,000 new jobs added in December and the unemployment rate down to 8.5 percent — by saying it’s “good news that more Americans found work last month despite a sluggish economy.” But Boehner said Americans still “struggle to find their next job.” Here’s Boehner’s full release:
“It’s good news that more Americans found work last month despite a sluggish economy, but both parties must come together and do more to address the ongoing uncertainty that small businesses face. Today marks the 35th consecutive month of unemployment above eight percent, and too many Americans continue to struggle to find their next job. In order to achieve sustained, robust job growth, both parties must work together on common-sense solutions to help small businesses create jobs.
“It’s unfortunate the White House and Senate last month created even more uncertainty for small businesses by declining to enact a full-year extension of the payroll tax credit and failing to enact the business expensing tax relief that the president himself proposed. House Republicans have already passed a bill that does both and I’m hopeful Senate Democrats will finally work with us to complete work on this measure in a timely manner and send it to the president’s desk.
“The House has passed nearly 30 jobs bills that remain stuck in the Democratic-controlled Senate. These bills, which passed the House with bipartisan support, would end some of the uncertainty facing small businesses and help create an environment where robust private-sector job growth is once again the norm. President Obama owes it to every small business, and to the millions of Americans still looking for work, to urge Senate Democrats to take action on these common-sense jobs bills as soon as possible.”
