Over the past two days, Mitt Romney has resurrected this claim hitting President Obama: He has made the economy worse.
Yesterday, when receiving Donald Trump’s endorsement, Romney said:
“He’s frequently telling us that he did not cause the recession, and that’s true. But he made it worse.”
And today, according to NBC’s Garrett Haake, he said something similar:

“This has been a tough time. And I know the president didn’t cause this downturn — this recession. But he didn’t make it better, either. He made it worse. He made it worse because instead of focusing his energy on the economy and getting people back to work, he used his mandate being elected– he used that to put through a series of programs that he and his base and his friends thought were important but frankly made it harder for our economy to recover. And so we’ve suffered.”

President Barack Obama said Wednesday he wants to reward companies that invest in America and eliminate tax breaks for companies that don’t, and he’s planning new tax proposals to do it.

A day after his Republican foes competed in the New Hampshire primary, Obama sought to grab back the spotlight and underscore his focus on the economy by convening a White House forum on how to increase employment and bring back jobs that have fled overseas.

Speaking alongside a group of business executives in the East Room, Obama said that rising American productivity and increasingly competitive costs add up to “a unique moment, an inflection point” for businesses to invest in the U.S. and bring jobs back home. And he argued there’s a moral case for it, too, and that business leaders have a responsibility to their country.

Washington (CNN) — President Barack Obama unveiled his administration’s plan Thursday for a leaner, cheaper military, a reflection of Washington’s fiscal belt-tightening and slower national economic growth.

The president insisted the new strategy — which eliminates the military’s ability to actively fight two major wars at once — will allow U.S. armed forces to effectively combat terrorism while confronting any new threats from countries like China and Iran.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama asked government agencies on Wednesday to slash $4 billion in spending on things like travel, printing and coffee mugs, in his latest effort to sidestep Congress and help the economy.

The White House order on cost-cutting is the latest in a series of small-scale initiatives Obama has been carrying out that do not require congressional approval.

By taking the executive actions, the Democrat is trying to put pressure on opposition Republicans to work with him on his $447 billion jobs package and other legislative proposals, and blame them for failing to act in the country’s best interest.

*** Is the economy picking up some steam? The most significant political story over the past few months — at least as it relates to 2012 — hasn’t been the latest developments in the GOP presidential field, or President Obama’s barnstorming through the country, or even the Occupy Wall Street protests (which have become more violent recently). Instead, it’s been the stalling economy, which began last spring (with the rising gas prices and the devastation in Japan). Today, there’s evidence that the economy is picking up some steam, at least for now. The Commerce Department says, per the AP, that the economy grew at a rate of 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. By comparison, 1st quarter GDP growth was at 0.4%, while 2nd quarter growth was 1.3%.

Washington (CNN) — Democrats and Republicans tried to force versions of a jobs bill through the Senate late Thursday, but both fell short of the 60 votes they would have needed to bring their proposals to the floor.

In a 50-50 vote, senators blocked a component of President Barack Obama’s jobs bill — $35 billion for states and localities to hire more teachers and first responders while preventing current ones from being laid off.

“For the second time in two weeks, every single Republican in the United States Senate has chosen to obstruct a bill that would create jobs and get our economy going again,” Obama said in a statement.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — The economy is losing steam across much of the nation, but is still growing and not in recession, according to the latest outlook from the Federal Reserve.

Wednesday’s release of the so-called Beige Book, which is a summary of outlooks from the 12 district banks from across the country, certainly didn’t portray a robust economy.

Another Social Security tax cut, intended to spark the sluggish economy, seems to be in the works.

But the short-term boost for workers could create even more problems for a giant entitlement program already facing a long-term financing shortfall.

The tax cut is a vital ingredient in President Barack Obama’s jobs bill. On the campaign trail in Pennsylvania last week, Obama touted the proposal as a tax break for “middle-class families who are likely to spend this money now and get the economy moving again.”

For 2012, Obama wants to cut the tax, normally 6.2 percent on both the employer and the employee, to 3.1 percent. The tax cut for businesses would apply on the first $5 million in wages paid. The proposal builds on the 2 percentage point payroll tax reduction that is in effect for 2011.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — To those still trying to salvage homes wrecked by natural disasters this summer, don’t worry. Congress has your back.

There is just no way lawmakers would let funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency run out.

Well, they probably won’t. They don’t want to anyway. But they’ve now left open the possibility that they might.

Once again, Congress is manufacturing a crisis — the third this year. Lawmakers are putting the country at risk of a government shutdown, creating pointless uncertainty over what used to be ordinary legislative business.

Why? House Republicans and Senate Democrats can’t agree on the terms of a bill that would continue to fund the government temporarily beyond Sept. 30, when the fiscal year ends.

WASHINGTON — House GOP leaders are regrouping after a surprise loss on a measure to provide $3.7 billion for disaster relief and prevent a government shutdown at the end of next week.

Speaker John Boehner of Ohio said Thursday that he would meet with Republican lawmakers this afternoon on Capitol Hill to discuss how to move forward after a surprise Wednesday vote in the House against legislation extending government funding and disaster relief monies.

“There’s no threat of government shutdown. Let’s just get this out there,” Boehner said at his weekly press conference.

Wednesday’s 230-195 defeat came at the hands of Democrats and tea party Republicans.