Obama to address Congress on Sept. 7 on jobs plan
UPDATED 3:22 p.m. ET
President Barack Obama announces that Princeton University labor economist Alan Krueger, left, has been named as top White House economist. during a statement in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Monday, Aug. 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
/ Susan Walsh"Our nation faces unprecedented economic challenges, and millions of hardworking Americans continue to look for jobs," Mr. Obama wrote in a formal letter to House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid requesting to address both chambers.
"As I have traveled across our country this summer and spoken with our fellow Americans, I have heard a consistent message: Washington needs to put aside politics and start making decisions based on what is best for our country and not what is best for each of our parties in order to grow the economy and create jobs. We must answer this call," Mr. Obama wrote.
"It is our responsibility to find bipartisan solutions to help grow our economy, and if we are willing to put country before party, I am confident we can do just that," Mr. Obama added.
An aide to Boehner said he did not immediately have an official response.
When Mr. Obama first announced earlier this month that he intended to make a big speech in September, a spokesman for Boehner mocked the idea.
"We really don't need another speech -- just a plan, like, on paper. Seriously, just drop it in the mail. Podium not required. Thanks," the spokesman wrote via Twitter.
Asked about the conflict with the Republican presidential debate, White House spokesman Jay Carney said the chosen date for the president's speech is "coincidental."
The debate among the eight GOP candidates is set to take place at the Ronald Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley, California and jointly hosted with POLITICO and NBC News. Cable channel MSNBC plans to carry the debate live at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh urged Boehner to say no to the September 7th date and offer an alternative date before or after next Wednesday.
"Speaker Boehner must say no to this request. He can say no to this. It is up to the Speaker of House. The president just can't say 'I'm showing up. Put everybody in the audience, I'm coming over to make a speech.' Boehner can say no this. He should say no," Limbaugh said, urging Boehner to say "here are the dates that you can have. September 6,8,9 or 10, you pick one, otherwise no joint session."
Mr. Obama on Monday called restoring the economy the nation's most "urgent mission." He said the ideas he'll propose next week will be steps Congress can take immediately "to put more money in the pockets of working families and middle-class families, to make it easier for small businesses to hire people, to put construction crews to work rebuilding our nation's roads and railways and airports, and all the other measures that can help to grow this economy."
Mr. Obama has in the past endorsed the idea of setting up an infrastructure bank to fund projects like highway and rail construction, and could specifically call on Congress to put that plan into action. He's also talked about renewing a 2-point cut in the payroll tax for employees and extending unemployment benefits -- two other ideas that could be in his speech.
The president has long been pushing for Congress to ratify pending free-trade agreements with Panama, Colombia and South Korea. The White House and other proponents of the free trade deals say they'll stimulate the economy, but those who oppose the deals fear they would lead to job outsourcing.
Mr. Obama has also hinted he could ask for new incentives for employers to hire more people -- he's already called on Congress to pass a tax credit for companies that hire unemployed veterans, a proposal he touted at the American Legion National Convention on Tuesday.
According to the Associated Press, the White House is considering other ideas, such as a $50 billion school construction initiative, and encouraging businesses to create more jobs in the U.S. by giving them preferred tax rates for bringing foreign sources of income to the U.S.
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Four More Years!
Four More Years!
Four More Years!
economyincrisis.org
You are absolutely wrong, social security has never used the general fund for the program, in fact social security and medicare are paid for by current workers, one genration pays for the next, been that way for decades, get a friggin clue, ok?
No kidding dummbass!
bush TOOK THE MONEY FROM THE SS FUND, and MOVED IT INTO THE GENERAL FUND!!!
He didn't "use the general fund to pay for social security" - he took the money that the workers PAY INTO THE SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM, and used it to mask his massive budget shortfalls!!!
$836 BILLION WORTH!!!
And NOW that it's broke, they're using that as "proof" that social security needs to be reformed.
Brain child, learn how are government works, it is not a dictatorship, like President Obama would prefer. We have a system of checks and balances.
President Bush left with a very low approval rating for a reason, it was to much spending.
President Obama called President Bush unAmerican for creating $4 Trillion of deficits in 8 years.
President Obama has done it in less than 4 years.
Who approved of that "spending" that Bush did? Gee, it couldn't have been the REPUBLICAN congress and the REPUBLICAN SENATE could it? not only did they approve of his MASSIVE DEFICIT SPENDING INITIATIVES, they also stuffed them with pork of their own!!!
When did Obama EVER call bush Un-American for anything? Got that link?
And what spending did Obama create in the 3 years he's been in office? He hasn't got ANYTHING past the republicans perpetual filibuster process in congress. He had the stimulus - which VIRTUALLY ALL ECONOMISTS said was necessary. That was it. The health care bill doesn't add ANYTHING to the national debt until 2014. You keep making this BS claim, but NEVER list the "spending" that Obama has created. If you tell a lie enough, do you think it becomes true?
That will shut him up and make him leave.
Right.
Like when you claimed that Michigan was a "blue state" because of their high unemployment, even though they have a republican governor, a republican lt governor, a republican majority in the state assembly, a republican majority in the state senate, and 9 of their 15 congressmen are republicans?
Yeah, "you showed me"!
Tool.
I have posted the budget increases many time before, not going to do it again for the ignorate fool you are.
The so called stimulus alone was almost $1 Trillion, with the interest counted it will be more.
You've NEVER posted any "budgetary increases" since 2009!! You've got "the stimulus" which you claim was "almost a trillion", which is a lie.
It was $787 BILLION, and of that only $460 BILLION was spent. Of the $460 BILLION, 60% of it was for (drumroll)........ tax cuts!!!!
The only other 'spending' that the Obama administration has done, is the Health Care Overhaul, which adds $200 BILLION this year and next, with the bulk of it coming in 2014.
You didn't document the RECURRING $380 BILLION that the REPUBLICANS CREATED in the Medicare overhaul, the RECURRING $400+ BILLION for the "bush tax cuts", the funding for bush's "voluntary war" in Iraq........
As usual, we get NOTHING from you!
Instead of giving yet another speech, was does he not just submit his proposal to congress, like every other President does?
Oh, that's right he already did and was voted down in the Democrat controlled Senate 97-0.
by starving1968-3 August 31, 2011 3:31 PM EDT
Obama submitted a jobs plan to the senate and they killed it 97-0?
I haven't heard this lie before - do you have a link?
by chevyhotrod August 31, 2011 3:51 PM EDT
Ignorant fool.......lol.....Priceless
President's budget sinks, 97-0
Not surprisingly at all, you have NO IDEA of the difference between a "budget" and a "jobs plan".
He submitted the BUDGET and it was rejected 97 - 0, he has NEVER submitted a "jobs plan", dummbasss!!!!!
It would have preserved Social Security and Medicare. It actually increased spending in these programs, but what it did do was keep it from going bankrupt, the path that it is on now.
And when it does go bankrupt, the only people that are going to get cut off are the people who rely on government for their healthcare.
GOP cut grandma's legs off...nice, ignorate fool.
Funny - the Bush regime "borrowed" $836 BILLION from the social security fund, and "moved it" to the "general fund" to mask his massive budget shortfalls.
In 2005, the republicans created the Medicare Part D overhaul, which ships $380 BILLION PER YEAR - EVERY YEAR - from the medicare system, to multi-billion dollar health insurance companies, and big pharmaceuticals.
And NOW that both programs are "broke" because of the republicans actions, they want to "fix" them by cutting benefits to the enrollees.
One - when are the republicans going to pay back that $836 BILLION that they borrowed?
Two - why are they going to cut the benefit payments to enrollees, doctors, and hospitals, instead of the big insurance companies and pharmaceuticals?
Brain child, learn how are government works, it is not a dictatorship, like President Obama would prefer. We have a system of checks and balances.
President Bush left with a very low approval rating for a reason, it was to much spending.
President Obama called President Bush unAmerican for creating $4 Trillion of deficits in 8 years.
President Obama has done it in less than 4 years.
Who approved of that "spending" that Bush did? Gee, it couldn't have been the REPUBLICAN congress and the REPUBLICAN SENATE could it? not only did they approve of his MASSIVE DEFICIT SPENDING INITIATIVES, they also stuffed them with pork of their own!!!
When did Obama EVER call bush Un-American for anything? Got that link?
And what spending did Obama create in the 3 years he's been in office? He hasn't got ANYTHING past the republicans perpetual filibuster process in congress. He had the stimulus - which VIRTUALLY ALL ECONOMISTS said was necessary. That was it. The health care bill doesn't add ANYTHING to the national debt until 2014. You keep making this BS claim, but NEVER list the "spending" that Obama has created. If you tell a lie enough, do you think it becomes true?