Boxer Weighs In On Jobless Numbers During Oakland Visit
OAKLAND (KCBS) - U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer toured an Oakland manufacturing plant Friday in a campaign stop to highlight small business successes amid new numbers on the nation's jobless rate.
The U.S. Labor Department announced Friday the unemployment remained at 9.6 percent last month. The report noted a wave of government layoffs, which outpaced weak hiring in the private sector.
Sen. Boxer referred to the jobless numbers while visiting Lucasey Manufacturing, a maker of flat screen TV mounts, along with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke. The visit aimed to highlight California's receipt of $168 million as part of the State Small Business Credit Initiative - a program extended through the recently-passed Small Business Jobs and Credit Act.
"The small business bill is actually a plus for the deficit," Boxer said. "It creates some money that we could put toward the deficit."
KCBS' Margie Shafer Reports:
Private businesses added only 64,000 positions last month, which is admittedly a slower pace than she would prefer, but Boxer said the economy is headed in the right direction.
"The worse thing we can do, as President Obama says, is give the keys back to the people who drove this car into the ditch," she said. "And that's what this election is about."
Judy Soderlund, a spokeswoman for the Carly Fiorina campaign, calls the job numbers "horrible."
"It's certainly heartbreaking to see this trend continue and I think it underscores the fact that Barbara Boxer's back stimulus hasn't worked on behalf of the people of California," said Soderlund.
Fiorina believes tax cuts for small businesses and less regulation would spur employment. Boxer is advocating for expanding the Highway Trust Fund to create jobs.
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