The New York Times wrote that as of December 2011, only 26 of America’s 363 metropolitan areas had recovered the jobs they lost during the economic downturn, according to a report released today. The United States Conference of Mayors, which commissioned the report, is meeting in Washington, D.C., today to meet with Congress and to express their frustration that both sides of the aisle have failed to "overcome partisan gridlock to agree on a way to created much-needed jobs by spending more money on infrastructure."

The report also projects a very slow recovery for the nation's metropolitan areas: a mere 26 additional cities are expected to recover lost jobs by the end of 2012 and it will take at least five years for the 80 hardest-hit areas to recover jobs. The nation’s mayors have convened to urge Congress to increase spending on infrastructure and stop cutting federal aid to programs that support important local needs, such as homeless shelters.