Portman: Economic recovery is ‘too weak’

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) said Thursday that President Obama’s efforts to stimulate the economy have been “too weak.”

“Today’s news that the U.S. economy shrank by 1 percent last quarter further confirms what American families and businesses already know: this so-called economic recovery is too weak,” Portman said. 

{mosads}On Thursday, the Commerce Department announced that the economy contracted by 1 percent in the first quarter of the year — for the first time since early 2011.

“It’s crucial that we take immediate steps to grow our economy and get people back to work,” Portman said. “That’s why I’ve proposed my Jobs for America plan which will spur growth and enact measures that will help our shrinking economy.”

In March, Portman announced Senate Republicans’ Jobs for America proposal, which would increase domestic oil drilling, repeal ObamaCare, require a balanced budget, reduce taxes and end some environmental regulations.

“President Obama and congressional Democrats have tried to tax, spend and regulate American prosperity, but those ideas haven’t worked,” Portman said. “We know we can do better, and it starts by putting our trust back in the American people.”