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Barack Obama called on Congress and President Bush to take economic relief measures in response to the Labor Department's June employment numbers, which were released today.
Unemployment held at 5.5 percent in June, while 62,000 jobs were lost, the report stated. Obama called for immediate action.
"I'm calling on Congress and the President to enact real, immediate relief with energy rebates for working families this summer, a fund to help families avoid foreclosure, extended benefits for the long-term jobless, and assistance to states that have been hard-hit by the economic downturn," Obama said today in a written statement circulated by his campaign.
Obama worked in a shot at GOP rival John McCain, comparing the Arizona senator to Bush: "We can't afford four more years of more of the same," Obama said. "That is the essential issue of this campaign because Senator McCain has fully embraced the Bush economic agenda."
McCain also called for immediate tax relief in response to the report today. As small businesses struggle to grow and create new jobs, McCain said, "We cannot raise taxes, increase regulation and isolate ourselves from foreign markets."