the scene here at the renaissance hotel, the site where the grid iron dinner will be held tonight. president obama will be speaking. a number of speeches and satire will be held here. president obama in his weekly address discuss the u.s. economy. we will take a look at that now. we got february job numbers. 236,000 jobs added.

the president is followed by senator sessions. >> hi, everyone. my top priority as president is making sure we do everything we can to reignite the engine of america's economic growth. yesterday we received some welcome news on that front. we learned that businesses added nearly 236,000 jobs last month. the unemployment rate fell to 7.7%. still too hi, but lower than when i took office. -- too high, but lower than when i took office. our manufacturers are bringing jobs back to america. our stock market has rebounded. numeral's are being built and sold at a faster pace. -- new homes are being built and sold at a faster pace. we need to keep that going. how do we make america a magnet

for new jobs? how do we equip more people with the skills. to choir? how do we make sure -- with the skills that jobs require? that needs to be our north star. when big businesses are gaining more track, the last thing we should do is allow washington politics to get in the way. you deserve better. gridlock is too often passed a serious debate. that is why i have been reaching out to both parties to see if we can untangle some of the gridlock. earlier this week, i met with some republican senators to see if there were smarter ways to grow our economy and reduce the deficit than the arbitrary cuts in the sequester that recently went into place. we had an open and honest conversation about issues like immigration reform and gun violence and other areas where we can work together to move this country forward.

next week i will attend both the democratic and republican party meetings in the capital to continue those discussions. the fact is, america is a nation of different beliefs and different points of view. that is part of what makes a strong erie it makes our democratic debates sometimes messy and a lot of the times -- that is what makes us strong. it makes our democratic debates sometimes messy and a lot of the time stressed rating stuff but what binds us together will always be more harmful than what drives us apart. as democrats and republicans, we may disagree on the best way to achieve our goals, that i'm confident we can agree on what those goals should be -- a strong and vibrant middle class, an economy that allows businesses to grow, and education system that gives more americans the skills they need to compete for the jobs of the future, and immigration system that works for families and businesses, stronger communities, safer streets for our children. making progress on these issues

will not be easy. there will be more debate and honest disagreement between people who want what is best for this country. i still believe compromise is possible. we can still come together to do big things. i know leaders on the other side of the aisle share that belief. i will keep fighting to solve the real challenges facing middle-class families. i will enlist anyone who is willing to help. that is what our country needs right now. that is what you deserve. thank you. >> hello. i'm jeff sessions from alabama. it is my privilege to speak with you today before the senate considers a budget plan next week. congress has an obligation to adopt a budget that does the most good for the most people. washington, d.c., no city in america relies more on federal government in washington. federal money pours in every

single day into every part of the city. despite this fountain of federal funds, one in three children still live in poverty in our nation's capital. two in three children lived in single-parent homes. another city number and by policy for decades, when in three residents are in food stamps and one in three used to live in poverty. americans are committed to helping our sisters and brothers who are struggling, but we are seeing the damaging results of our broken welfare state. we sent a trillion dollars each year on programs. poverty only seems to increase. something is wrong. compassion demands that we change. the federal government says that the more people we have on food stamps, the more it grows the economy. the department of agriculture

declares, each five dollars in new benefits generates almost twice that amount in economic activity for the community. our government is running food stamp emotions at the cease -- emotions act foreign embassies foreigntions at embassies. where i grew up, hard work was honored and independence was valued. it is not something to be overcome. it is a better goal to help americans find that are paying jobs and have the poride and self-respect that comes from that. isn't this a form of compassion that hays a more solid foundation? every time they try to compass these goals, they meet with the

same response. president obama a tax reformers saying such are not compassionate or fair --at attak s reformers saying such are not compassion or fair. what is not fair is a system that is failing those who need help the most. president obama speaks about his deep concern for struggling americans, get his plans are focused on growing government and not the economy. he has no effective lands to create better jobs, or rising wages. that is what is missing. apparently, the federal government is perfect and requires no reform. that would explain why are senate democrats have received the legally mandated 10 year budget plan in four years. to compel democrats to do their jobs, republicans passed a no measure.tmeasur no pay

the senate to introduce the long-delayed democrats plan on wednesday. right now our massive debt is slowing the economy and depressing wages. we have a moral duty to balance the federal budget. we need to bring the deficit down to zero. this is the great challenge of our time. you may be surprised to learn that we can achieve this goal if we simply hold the annual growth of spending to 3.4% each year. i fear that the democrats proposal will affect -- fail this test and will never achieve balance. it will crush american workers and our economy with trillions of new taxes, spending, and that. i fear chairman murray will fall the -- follow the president'

lead and raise taxes at the expense of the people. we need to grow the economy and not the government. people are eating hurt every single day by the washington establishment come of the democrats are determined to shield from accountability. government has never been bigger or out of control. they say there is no problem with braced, --waste, fraud, or abuse oh stop they say the problem is -- waste, fraud, or abuse. they say the problem is you. if you do not send the money, they will not stop spending erie it they will ro more -- they will not stop spending. they will just borrow more. instead of creating more jobs -- we need to make welfare temporary. temporary.