Obama: Virginia Fort Designation Means Jobs

President Obama signed a proclamation Tuesday afternoon designating Fort Monroe in Hampton, Va. as a national monument.

(Read more about the history of Fort Monroe in today’s Huffington Post)

Before the signing, Obama spoke about the impact the proclamation will have on the area’s economy.

“It’s…gonna be an incredibly important economic boost to the region,” he said to reporters and photographers gathered inside the White House’s Oval Office. “It will add millions of dollars to the local economy in and around Hampton,” Obama added.

Local officials estimate that the move could create up to 3,000 jobs, a line the president highlighted during his remarks.

“This is an action he can and should take that is inherently good because of the designation and also as a job creator,” said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney during his briefing on Tuesday.

Lately, Obama has unveiled a series of executive steps aimed at improving financial conditions for students, veterans and homeowners. Today’s measure is part of the White House’s new “We Can’t Wait” campaign to try and grow the economy without the help of Congress, which has made little progress on Obama’s major domestic jobs bill.

With the nation’s unemployment rate stuck at 9.1 percent, the White House will take anything it can get right now, especially in Virginia. Obama won the commonwealth in 2008, but his odds of winning it again next year are in question. A Quinnipiac poll released three weeks ago showed Obama trailing Republican Mitt Romney in Virginia by a one-point margin.