Contact: Michael Steel, Antonia Ferrier, Kevin Smith, 202-225-4000; Office of the House Republican Leader
 
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 /Standard Newswire/ -- House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Labor reported that the nation's economy lost 263,000 jobs in the month of September and the unemployment rate rose from 9.7 percent to 9.8 percent:

"Today, the American people woke up to learn that thousands more of their fellow citizens lost their jobs last month.  Today's troubling report underscores the need for Democrats in Washington to scrap their job-killing agenda and act in a bipartisan way to put Americans back to work. 

"The President himself has said that job creation is the ultimate measure of economic performance.  With our economy still losing jobs, we are headed for what appears to be, at best, a jobless recovery.  That is not what the American people were promised.  Earlier this year, Democrats pledged that the so-called 'stimulus' would create jobs immediately and keep the unemployment rate from going above eight percent.  With roughly three million private sector jobs lost since the 'stimulus' was enacted, Americans can't be blamed for asking, 'where are the jobs?'

"Instead of coming to their senses, Democrats are pressing ahead with, among other costly proposals, a national energy tax and a government takeover of health care.  Make no mistake, these initiatives would destroy jobs and place additional burdens on working families and small businesses.

 "Democrats' tax-and-spend policies are completely out-of-step with the challenges facing the American people.  Republicans are committed to restoring fiscal responsibility in Washington and promoting solutions that put Americans back to work."

NOTE: President Obama said last month, "This is something that I ask every single one of my economic advisers every single day, because I know that ultimately the measure of an economy is, 'is it producing jobs.'" (CNN's "State of the Union," 9/20/09)