Obama's jobs council shutting down as new weekly jobs numbers show a jump in unemployment claims

WASHINGTON – As new weekly jobs numbers emerged Thursday showing a jump in unemployment claims and a report out the day prior showed the economy shrinking in late 2012, President Obama is effectively laying off his jobs council.

The layoff -- which comes in the form of the administration not renewing the council, which sunsets Thursday -- takes off the table a first-term panel set up to field ideas from the business community for spurring growth. But the administration was accused all along of never taking full advantage of the group at a time when the economy desperately needed those ideas.

The council itself, a group of business and labor leaders, hasn't met officially in over a year. The group was tasked with making recommendations to Obama to help create jobs, but the 26 members only met four times in two years.  More

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