Buoyed by strong employment numbers on Friday, President Obama said the economy is growing stronger and warned Congress not to get in the way of the recovery.
Addressing fire fighters and veterans in Arlington, Va., Obama heralded the news that the unemployment rate dropped to 8.3 percent and the economy added 257,000 jobs in January.
Though the monthly numbers "will go up and down," and too many Americans remain out of work, the nation's economic recovery "is speeding up," the president said. "We can’t let Washington stand in the way."
“So I say to Congress: Do not slow down the recovery that we’re on. Don’t muck it up,” Obama said.
He said the most important thing Congress could do is to pass a year-long extension of the payroll-tax holiday. The president visited Arlington to announce new initiatives to help veterans find employment.
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