U.S. President Barack Obama says congressional Democrats and Republicans need to step out of their “comfort zones” and make the political sacrifices to meet the nation's fiscal challenges.

During his weekly address Saturday, Mr. Obama said they will be working Sunday to reach an agreement on how to lower the huge deficit.

Mr. Obama says getting the government's financial house in order will allow Congress to focus on his proposals to generate jobs.

On Friday, the Labor Department released a report showing American employers added only 18,000 jobs in June, the smallest increase in nine months and another indication that the U.S. economy is still struggling to recover from a deep recession.

Republicans used the jobs report during their weekly address to attack President Obama's economic plan.

Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers says the Obama administration's policies have failed to help small businesses create needed jobs.

Meantime, both sides remain apart on how to cut the deficit and put the economy on the road to full recovery.