President Obama trumpeted a strong jobs report on Friday during his second trip to Northern Virginia in the last three days.
“These numbers will go up and down in the coming months and there’s still far too many Americans that need a job,” he said at Fire Station #5 in Arlington, announcing new jobs benefits for veterans. “But the economy is growing stronger. The recovery is speeding up.”
Exceeding expectations, 243,000 jobs were added to the economy last month, and the unemployment rate dipped to 8.3 percent, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Put another way, that’s the lowest unemployment rate since Obama’s first full month in office, a trend the president is hoping will convince voters the economy is rebounding.
Obama, using the positive news, urged Congress to extend a payroll tax holiday so as to not impede recent economic growth.
“Do not slow down the recovery we are on,” he told lawmakers. “Don’t muck it up.”
The trip comes on the heels of Wednesday’s trek to Falls Church, where Obama announced plans to help so-called underwater homeowners. Virginia is a crucial battleground state, and Obama needs a particularly strong showing in the northern suburbs to win the commonwealth again.
