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Obama Takes on Sluggish Economy

Blames Congress for slowing down growth.

In a statement Friday morning President Obama blamed an intractable Congress for scuttling the "bipartisan" jobs plan he sent them last year, and said that he urges legislators to reconsider. Obama put forward plans to give homebuyers a tax break and stimulate small businesses, saying that the ideas he advanced have received broad support from nonpartisan experts, and that plans proposed by Republican lawmakers would "add weakness" to the economy. "There is no excuse for not passing these ideas," the president said, blaming partisan politics for the holdup in Congress. The president also addressed economic woes in Europe, saying that there are solutions to the eurozone's problems if politicians can make the difficult choices. "Imagine dealing with 17 Congresses instead of just one," Obama said of Europe's financial crisis. "That makes things more challenging." Rep. Eric Cantor and House Speaker John Boehner reportedly planned to respond to Obama's criticisms in a followup press conference.