The Arizona senator responded to the latest numbers, which show a loss of 80,000 jobs in March pushing the unemployment rate up to 5.1 percent, The Hill reported. He said that raising taxes and creating new regulations would discourage investment and lead to worse job losses.

Sen. Hillary Clinton, one of the two Democratic contenders, blamed Republicans for the worsening economy. She said that President Bush ignored the growing crisis in the housing market, allowing it to spill over into the rest of the economy.