Economy

We Can’t Wait For Congress

President Obama announced a summer jobs program targeted at teenagers today that is intended to provide as many as 250,000 temporary jobs.

The Obama administration announced Thursday its plan to create 250,000 teen "employment opportunities" this summer. The program, called "Summer Jobs+", was kicked off with a commitment so far of 180,000 jobs, according to White House spokesperson Caroline Hughes. The opportunities, targeted at young people, will be in the private-sector as well as federal agencies and non-profit organizations.

"America's youth can't wait for Congress to act," said Obama in a statement today. "This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. That's why today, we're launching Summer Jobs+, a joint initiative that challenges business leaders and communities to join my administration in providing hundreds of thousands of summer jobs for America's youth."

While the job market is still sluggish for many, it's perhaps the worst for young adults looking for their first job or a summer job. Unemployment among people aged 16 to 24 was 17.7 percent in 2011 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A spokesman for Speaker of the House John Boehner issued a statement responding to the president's announcement which read -- paraphrasing -- "everyone agrees jobs are important, but...blah blah blah."