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WASHINGTON — President Obama blamed just about everything — except his own economic policies — for yesterday’s dismal jobs report that showed the lowest monthly increase in new hiring since late last year.
“The economy has experienced some tough headwinds, from natural disasters, to spikes in gas prices, to state and local budget cuts that have cost tens of thousands of cops and firefighters and teachers their jobs,” Obama explained.
The president went on to blame America’s startling 9.2 percent jobless rate on the debt crisis in Greece that has rattled financial markets across the globe and on uncertainty about whether Washington can solve its own debt crisis before running out of money on Aug. 2.
Obama called the Rose Garden press conference just a few hours after the Department of Labor released its report showing a scant 18,000 jobs were added to the economy in June, too few new jobs to even keep up with US population growth.
In fact, so few new jobs were created that the unemployment rate rose from 9.1 percent to 9.2 percent, the highest jobless rate this year.
Some analysts had been expecting at least 100,000 new jobs would have been created — a rate that would still fall below what’s needed to make a significant dent in the jobless rate.
The stark unemployment figures only complicated tough budget talks aimed at raising the $14.3 trillion debt limit, with Republican leaders using the bad economic news to bolster their opposition to tax hikes being pushed by Obama.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said the report’s “June gloom” was the latest evidence of Obama’s failed economic policies.
“The stimulus-spending binge, excessive government regulations, and our overwhelming debt continue to hold back job creators around our country,” he said.
Obama, Boehner and other congressional leaders are expected to resume debt talks at the White House at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
The new jobs report also exposed a major chink in Obama’s re-election armor, and his Republican rivals for 2012 immediately opened fire.
“Today’s abysmal jobs report confirms what we all know: The White House has turned the audacity of hope into the audacity of indifference,” said GOP hopeful Mitt Romney.
The bump in unemployment brings the official jobless count to about 14.1 million people, with nearly half of them out of work for six months or longer.
Since February 2009:
* Nation has seen 17 months of job losses, compared to 12 months of gains
* Total net loss has been 2.5 million jobs during his term
* Largest monthly job loss was 796,000 in March 2009
* Largest monthly job gain was 458,000 in May 2010