Obama urges stronger measures to boost job growth

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch)
President Obama on Friday urged lawmakers to resolve a potential U.S. debt crisis and take stronger measures to put Americans back to work after a dismal jobs report for June stoked concerns that the economy is slumping again.
Obama repeated his view that the problems with the economy "won't be solved overnight," but he called again for more spending on infrastructure projects such as roads, rail and bridges to help 1 million construction workers who do not have jobs.
At the same time, the president said Washington has to find ways to lower overall U.S. spending and "get the government to live within its means."
In the near term, Obama said Congress has to quickly raise the federal debt limit on how much the government can borrow to forestall an economic crisis.
"There are a few things that we can and should do right now to redouble our efforts on behalf of the American people," he said.