President Obama wants Congress to act now on legislation to aid economy

President Barack Obama is urging Congress to act on legislation he says will accelerate the economy. The president says the U.S. has responsibilities that are “bigger than an election.” In his weekly radio and Internet address, President Obama says Congress could pass bills to help states prevent more layoffs, put construction workers on the job, and help small-business owners hire workers.

The president’s comments came at the heels of the May’s jobs report, which showed only 69,000 job were added to the economy, while unemployment increased to 8.2 percent, from 8.1 percent. Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas says Democrats are encouraging “gimmicks” and unless Obama and Congress take action, the American public will deal with a tax increase of nearly $500 billion, which will put the nation back into recession.