GOP assails Obama on 'weak' jobs report

WASHINGTON -- After enjoying a streak of good news on the jobs front, President Barack Obama's reaction to the disappointing March jobs report was measured and quick.

Obama made only a passing reference to the report on Friday as he addressed a White House forum on women and the workforce. The president seized on bright spots -- a slightly lower unemployment rate and the 120,000 new jobs -- and then qualified his optimism.

"But it's clear to every American that there will still be ups and downs along the way and that we've got a lot more work to do," Obama said. "And that includes addressing challenges that are unique to women's economic security, challenges that have been around since long before the recession hit."

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has a significant lead in the delegate count for the GOP nomination for president, said the report shows that the job market remains hamstrung by Obama's policies.

"This is a weak and very troubling jobs report that shows the employment market remains stagnant," Romney said. "Millions of Americans are paying a high price for President Obama's economic policies, and more and more people are growing so discouraged that they are dropping out of the labor force altogether."

Republicans in Congress used the numbers to promote their proposed remedies -- lowering taxes on small businesses and top earners, cutting environmental and other regulations, trimming government spending and the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

"Unfortunately, the president is refusing to get serious about addressing our fiscal and economic challenges," House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said in a statement. "We invite the president and his fellow Democrats who run Washington to join us in acting on common ground that would help the private sector put people back to work."

With the Los Angeles Times