Obama says stimulus bill saved troubled US economy

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama says the emergency legislation he signed a year ago to help the struggling US economy has saved at least 2 million jobs and avoided a deeper recession.

Speaking on the first anniversary of the American Recovery and Investment Act, Obama said that embracing the $787 billion measure "wasn't a politically easy decision," but said he had no choice.

He conceded that too many people still are in need of work and many more are struggling to pay bills. But Obama also chided critics. He said that many of the same lawmakers who assailed the stimulus bill "showed up at ribbon-cutting ceremonies in their districts."

But Obama also acknowledged that current economic conditions do not "feel much like a recovery" to those who are still hurting.