Pelosi blames GOP for job numbers

Republicans in Congress are to blame for the dismal economy, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Friday.

Pelosi said Republicans created uncertainty and instability by threatening to block a debt-ceiling deal, which risked causing the U.S. to default on its debt. She added that those lawmakers’ constituents are now “paying the price.”

“We cannot afford another 241 days of Republican refusal to pass jobs legislation,” Pelosi said in a statement. “The only plans offered by Republicans have not only failed to create jobs — they actually have destroyed them.”

{mosads}Pelosi offered the statement after the Labor Department released a worse-than-expected jobs report for the month of August that showed the nation netted a total of zero jobs for the month.

The figures will add pressure on the White House in advance of the jobs speech President Obama is scheduled to deliver to a joint session of Congress on Sept. 8.

But they also add some pressure for Republicans, who will be defending their House majority in just more than a year.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Friday blamed the threat of higher taxes, excessive regulations and more stimulus spending for driving uncertainty in the economy. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) blamed congressional Democrats for pushing such policies.

Pelosi said the two parties must act on a bipartisan basis to create jobs.