BALTIMORE, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- President Bush highlighted improved unemployment figures Friday at a fundraiser in Baltimore, saying tax cuts were responsible for the economic recovery.
"The American economy is strong and it is getting stronger. ... More jobs are being created," Bush said.
"The tax relief we passed is working for the American people."
The government issued statistics in which unemployment dropped from 6 percent to 5.9 percent. Bush also cited recent data indicating the U.S. economy is growing at an 8.2 percent annual rate. However, the number of jobs created -- 57,000 -- is considered a slower pace than needed to recover those lost in the first years of the administration
Bush, however, used the positive figures to ask those at the luncheon for additional support as he heads into a re-election campaign.
The $2,000-a-plate luncheon was expected to pull in about $1 million for the Bush re-election efforts. The campaign has a war chest of more than $100 million.
