Reid blames GOP's ‘knee-jerk obstruction’ for slow job growth

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said it was Republicans' fault the August jobs report wasn’t better.

“While our recovery is still moving too slowly for many Americans, job growth would likely have been even stronger if Republicans had not blocked Democratic efforts to hire more teachers, firefighters and police officers,” Reid said in a statement Friday.

The Bureau for Labor Statistics reported that the economy added 96,000 jobs in August and unemployment fell to 8.1 percent, but Reid said quicker economic recovery is needed.

“The best way to speed up our recovery is for Republicans to stop their knee-jerk obstruction of every effort Democrats put forward and start working across the aisle to find common ground,” Reid said. “Next week, the Senate will vote to give employers incentives to hire veterans, so our heroes are not left out in the cold when they return home.”

On Tuesday, Reid is expected to file a motion to end debate and proceed to a vote on the Veterans Jobs Corps Act, S. 3457, which would create new job-training programs to help veterans find work in targeted fields including national park conservation, historic preservation projects, law enforcement and public safety.

“This is a common-sense jobs bill, and I hope Republicans will join Democrats in supporting it,” Reid said.

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