W A S H I N G T O N, Sept. 7 — President Bush today defended his plan to revive the slumping economy in the face of a sharp rise in unemployment, urging Congress to pass his "pro-growth agenda."
"Any American out of work is too many Americans out of work," Bush said in a news conference at the White House. "And that's why it's absolutely essential that we work together to put a growth plan in place to create jobs for hardworking Americans."
The president's remarks came as his administration and Congress are embroiled in a political and
over next year's federal budget.
Democratic leaders seized on the Labor Department's report this morning that the
unemployment rate jumped to 4.9 percent in August — its highest level since September 1997. They portrayed the figures as evidence of what they insist is Bush's fiscal mismanagement and failed stewardship of the national economy.
"Today's news confirms our worst fears about the president's budget and its impact on the economy and on working families," Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said in a statement.
"There is a clear connection between the Bush budget, the Bush economy, and this spike in unemployment," Daschle said.
Democrats on Capitol Hill have long argued the $1.35 trillion tax cut the president pushed through Congress and signed into law this spring would bust the budget and force Congress to dip into Social Security funds in order to fund the government.
But Bush today held fast to his contention that the massive tax cut would help revive the economy.
"We made a great step toward economic growth when we worked together to pass tax relief," he said, adding: "Tax relief is just now making its way into the economy."
The president suggested congressional Democrats were planning an effort to increase taxes in the wake of the dwindling budget surplus, saying his administration and Republican leaders on Capitol Hill "are not going to let anybody pick the pockets of the American taxpayer."
Bush blamed the soaring unemployment rate on the economic downturn, which he said began before he took office.
"The unemployment numbers today are evidence … [that] too many people are losing their jobs as the result of a slowdown that began when [Vice President] Dick [Cheney] and I were campaigning across the country last summer," he said. "The slowdown is real and it's effecting too many lives."
But House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., offered a different explanation.
"The real slowdown has begun in the last six months," he told reporters at the White House after meeting with Bush this morning. "I think the economy has reacted to the president's budget plan [and] I don't think it's been a positive reaction."
The president today also called on Congress to pass his proposal to dramatically ramp up the nation's capacity to produce energy and to approve so-called fast-track trade promotion authority, which would give the president a freer hand in negotiating international trade agreements. Both measures, he maintained, would help hasten an economic recovery.
He urged lawmakers to "get away from all the distractions that tend to dominate Washington and focus on a pro-growth agenda."
Joining Bush on the South Lawn of the White House were House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois and Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi, who met privately with the president to discuss the budget and other legislative issues.
"I want the American people to know we are deeply concerned about the unemployment rates and we intend to do something about it," Bush said as he concluded his remarks.
For Education And Discussion Only. Not For Commercial Use.
