According to top economists, Congressional Republicans have blocked much-needed government leadership on job creation, advocating austerity instead.

We've ended up with a Tea Party economic policy.

President Barack Obama can take credit for implementing a $787 billion stimulus that saved or created more than 3 million jobs, according to the Congressional Budget Office. But many economists argue that the hurried bill did not go far enough. Obama made another attempt at job creation last year when he introduced a jobs bill to Congress that economists estimated would create roughly 2 million jobs if passed. Congressional Republicans have blocked the bill, advocating austerity instead.

In terms of its own hiring practices, the government has been cutting jobs largely at the state and local levels. Though the government typically adds jobs, there now are 639,000 fewer government workers than in January 2009, when Obama took office, according to the Labor Department.

"What we’re doing is a radical departure from historical practice," Wolfers said. "We've ended up with Tea Party economic policy."