Dems Push New Aid Package as Job Market Swoons

Democrats are calling for another stimulus package to help American workers as unemployment soars, the New York Times reports. Almost 250,000 American jobs have been lost since the beginning of the year—including 80,000 in March—leading one policy expert to say it's time the government switched focus from the housing crisis to the flagging job market.

The job losses are comparable to those in the early months of the last recession, in 2001, the Times notes. The presidential hopefuls were split on the jobs issue yesterday: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton backed the idea of a second stimulus package and an extension of unemployment benefits, while John McCain said lower taxes and less regulation would spark jobs growth. The administration thinks the existing stimulus package will be enough when it kicks in. (More US economy stories.)