Obama Acknowledges Sluggish Pace Of Economic Recovery

President Obama responded Friday to the better-than-expected July unemployment numbers by saying that more must be done to grow the economy and put the jobless back to work. Though the nation’s jobless rate remains above 9%, Obama sounded optimistic that the country may be headed in the right direction after 117,000 net jobs were created last month.

“We are going to get through this, things will get better, and we’re gonna get there together,” he said during an event to promote creating jobs for Veterans who re-enter the labor market.

Obama called the process by which Congress battled to strike a deal to cut spending and raise the U.S. debt limit “divisive” and “delayed.”

“If we want our businesses to have the confidence they need to get cash off the sidelines, and invest and hire, we’ve gotta do better than that.”

The President called on lawmakers to immediately take up measures to extend payroll tax cuts and unemployment insurance, as well as initiatives to boost construction hiring, when Congress returns from its August recess shortly after Labor Day. “Those are all steps that we can take right now that will make a difference,” he said.