[h=3]By JARED FAVOLE[/h]WASHINGTON—U.S. President Barack Obama used his weekly radio address to the nation to urge Congress to pass a series of economic proposals that will help put teachers back in the classroom.
Mr. Obama said teachers across the U.S. have been laid off because of the weak economy. He pointed to thousands of teacher layoffs in two of this year's election-battleground states—Pennsylvania and Ohio—to make his case and said nationwide school districts across the U.S. have lost 250,000 educators in the past three years.
"When there are fewer teachers in our schools, class sizes start climbing up," Mr. Obama said on Saturday. "Our students start falling behind. And our economy takes a hit."
Mr. Obama last year proposed a series of economic ideas that would have put construction workers, police and teachers back on the job. Congress has rebuffed the proposals amid concerns about how to pay for them, and Mr. Obama has used lawmakers' reluctance to brand them as a do-nothing Congress.
"When states struggle, it's up to Congress to step in and help out," Mr. Obama said, adding, "We're still waiting on Congress to act."
Mr. Obama gave a similar message at a press conference at the White House on Friday, but his comments that "the private sector is doing fine" overshadowed his intended point.
Republicans quickly latched onto his words and said they showed he is out of touch. Mr. Obama later clarified his remarks when asked about the GOP's criticism while meeting with the president of the Philippines.
"It is absolutely clear that the economy is not doing fine," Mr. Obama said.
The Republican Party, in its radio address, also focused on the economy. Rep. Erik Paulsen (R., Minn.) said Mr. Obama's policies are "standing in the way of a stronger economy."
He said Mr. Obama's health-care law "well may be the worst offender, driving up costs and making it harder for small businesses to hire workers."
He said the GOP will continue to take steps to remove barriers to job creation, and as an example he pointed to moves this week to repeal a tax increase on medical-device manufacturers.
Write to Jared Favole at [email protected]
Mr. Obama said teachers across the U.S. have been laid off because of the weak economy. He pointed to thousands of teacher layoffs in two of this year's election-battleground states—Pennsylvania and Ohio—to make his case and said nationwide school districts across the U.S. have lost 250,000 educators in the past three years.
"When there are fewer teachers in our schools, class sizes start climbing up," Mr. Obama said on Saturday. "Our students start falling behind. And our economy takes a hit."
Mr. Obama last year proposed a series of economic ideas that would have put construction workers, police and teachers back on the job. Congress has rebuffed the proposals amid concerns about how to pay for them, and Mr. Obama has used lawmakers' reluctance to brand them as a do-nothing Congress.
"When states struggle, it's up to Congress to step in and help out," Mr. Obama said, adding, "We're still waiting on Congress to act."
Mr. Obama gave a similar message at a press conference at the White House on Friday, but his comments that "the private sector is doing fine" overshadowed his intended point.
Republicans quickly latched onto his words and said they showed he is out of touch. Mr. Obama later clarified his remarks when asked about the GOP's criticism while meeting with the president of the Philippines.
"It is absolutely clear that the economy is not doing fine," Mr. Obama said.
The Republican Party, in its radio address, also focused on the economy. Rep. Erik Paulsen (R., Minn.) said Mr. Obama's policies are "standing in the way of a stronger economy."
He said Mr. Obama's health-care law "well may be the worst offender, driving up costs and making it harder for small businesses to hire workers."
He said the GOP will continue to take steps to remove barriers to job creation, and as an example he pointed to moves this week to repeal a tax increase on medical-device manufacturers.
Write to Jared Favole at [email protected]