“Too often over the last few months, we’ve seen Congress drag its feet and refuse to take steps we know will help strengthen our economy,” he said in the weekly radio and Internet address. “That’s why this is the latest in a series of actions I’ve taken on my own to help our economy keep growing, creating jobs, and restoring security for middle-class families.”
The president will deliver his annual address to Congress next week and spell out his priorities as he runs for re- election in a contest in which the U.S. economy will be a dominant issue. While the unemployment dropped last month to 8.5 percent from a high of 10 percent in 2009, the nation’s employers have yet to replace all the jobs lost during the 18- month recession that began in 2007.
