Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) lashed out at Republican critics Friday, accusing them of acting irresponsibly for using his comments on the economy against him.

Commenting on new unemployment figures indicating no significant change in joblessness, Reid earlier in the day said, “only 36,000 people lost their jobs today, which is really good” given recent unemployment rates.

Republicans immediately pounced, attempting to paint Reid as being happy so many Americans lost their jobs last month.

In a floor speech Friday, Reid excoriated Republicans, charging his words were “being irresponsibly mischaracterized by those seeking to score political points.”

Reid went on to hammer the GOP over the filibuster of unemployment benefits and other parts of his “jobs agenda” by Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) and argued that Republicans were taking his comments out of context.

“I encourage my Republican friends to remember this critical context before their political reflexes lead them to make claims they know to be false. And I warn them, once again, that this country has no place and no patience for those who root for failure,” Reid said.