Obama says jobs will be ‘number-one focus’ in 2010

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama has said that job creation would be his top priority this year and called on Congress to adopt a series of spending measures and tax incentives to bring down unemployment from a quarter-century high of 10 percent.

“Jobs must be our number one focus in 2010, and that is why I am calling for a new jobs bill tonight,” Obama said in his first State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress.

He proposed cutting taxes for small business and using $30 billion to encourage smaller community banks to restart lending to businesses and consumers.

“People are out of work. They’re hurting. They need our help. And I want a jobs bill on my desk without delay,” Obama said.