House Speaker John Boehner is decrying the sluggish economic growth of recent years as a “new normal” and accusing Senate Democrats and President Barack Obama of standing in the way of legislation passed by the House.
Boehner’s comments, in a Web video released Wednesday, are an effort to push back on Democrats branding his Republican-controlled House as obstructionist after it has focused much of its efforts on repealing the new health care reform law, even at the expense of a government shutdown that economists say hurt growth.
“The American economy, the greatest in the world, is stuck in a new normal,” Boehner says in the video. “High unemployment, stagnant wages, slow growth. We can do better.”
After arguing the House has passed legislation that would boost jobs, Boehner says: “The Senate Democrats are standing in the way. President Obama is just standing on the sidelines. Mr. President, what are you waiting for?”
See the video below: