Boehner dismisses lower jobless rate

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- House Speaker John Boehner Sunday refused to give President Obama any credit for recent declines in the U.S. unemployment rate.

Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," Boehner said the reductions were due to increasing numbers of demoralized Americans giving up and leaving the workforce.

"You ask Americans how they feel about the economy, and they're going to look at you and say, where are the jobs?" Boehner said.

"While some job growth certainly is welcome, the fact of the matter is the president's policies continue to hold back our economy."

The speaker added Republicans in Congress were still engaged with the White House in trying to find "common ground" for the benefit of the American people. At the same time, he added, there remained sizable disagreements over national policies.

"I'll never give up on this president, or give up on this process to try to help do what the American people sent us here to do, which is try to resolve our differences, find common ground, and move," Boehner said.