Obama Praises Better-Than-Expected Jobs Report & Calls for Payroll Tax Cut Extension 🇺🇸

U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday welcomed a stronger than expected employment report and urged Congress to extend a payroll tax cut until the end of 2012.<br/> (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA , SAYING:<br/> "We're making progress. We're moving in the right direction. And one of the reasons for this is the tax cut for working Americans that we put in place last year,"<br/> Obama said more needs to be done.<br/> On a visit to the Consumer Protection Bureau, he called on Congress to do more.<br/> (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA , SAYING:<br/> "When Congress returns they should extend the middle class tax cut for all of this year, to make sure we keep this recovery going."<br/> On Friday, the Labor Department reported that 200,000 jobs were added to the economy in December, as the unemployment rate edged lower to 8.5 percent.<br/> Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters.