August ends, but the Congressional recess rolls on. President Obama speaks from the White House on the end of combat operations in Iraq. Unemployment figures for August are released Friday, worth a weekend of pre-Labor Day punditry.

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) issues its annual Labor Day report on Wednesday, this year examing the impact of uncertainty on the U.S. economy and employees. On Thursday, the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte release a survey of the public’s perceptions of manufacturing.

The Senate is recessed until Monday, September 13. The House is recessed until Tuesday, September 14.

President Obama travels Tuesday to Fort Bliss, Texas, to meet with troops. That evening, he will also address the nation on Iraq from the Oval Office. On Thursday, he meets in Washington with Israeli and Palestinian delegations in an attempt to jump-kick start negotiations. The rest of the President’s schedule is still developing; with Labor Day approaching, one anticipates an event or two on the economy. Will he mention Recovery Summer?

Executive Branch: Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke is in Nashville today for a forum with the music industry on intellectual property and piracy. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) makes the announcement; Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) has a few complaints.

Economic Reports: Consumer spending figures are released today. On Wednesday, the Institute for Supply Management issues its survey of manufacturers, and new vehicle sales are also reported. Friday morning the much-anticipated BLS report on August unemployment comes out. MarketWatch previews previews the week’s economic reports, as does Bloomberg here.