Spross reports: "New numbers released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the economy added a mere 80,000 jobs in June. Republican intransigence on economic policy has been a key contributor to the sluggish recovery."



Only 80,000 jobs were added in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (photo: Folsom Cordova Community Partnership)

5 Ways Republicans Have Sabotaged Job Growth

By Jeff Spross, ThinkProgress

ew numbers released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the economy added a mere 80,000 jobs in June. That's down from an average of 150,000 jobs a month for the first part of the year, and far too little to keep up with population growth.

Republican intransigence on economic policy has been a key contributor to the sluggish recovery. As early as 2009, Republican fear-mongering over spending and their readiness to filibuster in the Senate helped convince the White House economic team that an $800 billion stimulus was the most they could hope to get through Congress. Reporting has since revealed that the team thought the country actually needed a stimulus on the order of $1.2 to $1.8 trillion. The economy's path over the next three years proved them right. Here are the top five ways the Republicans have sabotaged the economic recovery since:

There have also been a few near-misses, in which the GOP almost prevented help from coming to the economy. The Republicans in the House delayed a transportation bill that saved as many as 1.9 million jobs. House Committees run by the GOP have passed proposals aimed at cutting billions from food stamps, and the party has repeatedly threatened to kill extensions of unemployment insurance and cuts to the payroll tax.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, those policies - the payroll tax cut, food stamps, unemployment insurance, and discretionary spending for low-income Americans - have the highest multipliers, meaning more job boosting potential per dollar.