House GOP rejects Obama jobs proposals

WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders say they are rejecting President Barack Obama's jobs proposals to rebuild schools and blighted neighborhoods, and help keep state and local employees on the job.

In a memo to GOP lawmakers that was also issued publicly and reprinted in The New York Times, House Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., and other Republican leaders also objected to the president's proposal for a temporary reduction in payroll taxes, in order to boost consumer spending and increase demand.

The GOP leaders say such a temporary reduction means taxes will go up later when the reduction expires in 2013.

"While employees would see an additional temporary benefit from this proposal in 2012," they wrote, "they would experience a larger effective tax increase 12 months later when the payroll tax reverted back to its full level.

"There may be significant unforeseen downsides to large temporary tax cuts immediately followed by large tax increases," they added.

Boehner and his GOP colleagues also say that Mr. Obama's move to tax the wealthy claiming itemized deductions will hurt churches and other nonprofits.

The memo says Mr. Obama's proposal to spend $50 billion to repair and improve infrastructure and to create a $10 billion national infrastructure bank is "adding more money to the same broken system," and is "more likely to produce waste and inefficiency than meaningful results."

The Republicans supported a proposal by Mr. Obama to delay a law requiring the U.S. government to withhold 3 percent of its payments to contractors for good and services as income tax. House Republicans call the withholding law "onerous," and want it repealed outright.

Boehner said he is willing to negotiate on extending payroll tax cuts for both workers and employers.

The memo also criticizes Mr. Obama's proposal for an additional $30 billion in spending to state and local governments. The Republicans say the 2009 stimulus bill - "under the guise of preventing the layoff of teachers, law enforcement officers, and other municipal employees" - was a band-aid approach that "masked over the true fiscal problems facing states and local governments."

[The White House Council of Economic Advisers reported that as of 2Q 2010 the stimulus preserved or created between 2.5 and 3.6 million jobs, as state and local governments suffered increased budgetary problem.]

They also restated their views that Mr. Obama's jobs bill has some elements that they like, such as tax cuts for small businesses, and passage of free trade agreements with Panama, Colombia and South Korea.

[EqualityJane]

So what else is new - what haven't they rejected. This just goes to show that evidently all of the members of congress fall under that "Wealthy" category. However, anyone with half a brain knows that the real reason they sit on their duffs and reject everything is that they are all a bunch of bigots and can't stand seeing an african american as their leader. America it is time to stand up and throw this bunch of childish idiots out on the street and start from scratch. If we don't it will be back to the last 8 years of politics that got us into this mess to begin with.

[noloyalisti]

The right wing wackos have been waging class warfare on Americans for over 30 years. THAT is what Obama should have said on camera. It's time to take the fight right to the wackos.

[starman5409]

I vote to impeach house republicans for unconstitutional activities.
They go against everything that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution allow.

I thought we got rid of the obstructionist British absolutism 200 years ago, I guess the Republicans want it back.

Throw them out and get someone in Congress who is genuinely interested in helping the American People.

These people are guilty of Treason. Fire their butts and start over.

[RobAla]

If the federal government wants less of a thing, all it has to do is tax it to death. The United States has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world, and people wonder why jobs are going overseas to more business friendly countries.

Now, this madman of a President wants to tax businesses and private sector job creators even more. President Obama has never been about private sector jobs expansion, he has been consumed by the expansion of the federal government. He is been consumed with "remaking" the United States from a democratic republic into a socialist democracy. That is his priority - and it always has been.

President Obama's plan is to give a temporary tax relief for one year, and then pound business and individuals with permanent tax increase immediately afterwords. His stupid plan is to blow another $450 billion of the public's money to give a small bump in employment leading up to the 2012 election, and pay back only part of it ($400 billion) over 10 years. He is kicking it down the road for someone else to deal with. President Obama has never been about the expansion of private sector jobs, he has been consumed with the expansion of the federal government. His horrible policies are damaging this nation.

President Obama spent a lot of time going over his plan with union leaders, prior to making his speech. However, he refused to give Republicans in Congress the same courtesy of reviewing his plan for America, prior to making his speech. This was not a Presidential address; it was a political campaign speech - dressed with a Presidential address bow. Most of the jobs President Obama says are created by his bill will go to teachers, police, fire fighters, and construction workers - unions (his political supporters). He wants to use $450 billion of the public's money to pay back his supporters. All of us would like better roads and bridges, but we simply can not afford any more nonsense from this administration.

[verypublishedwriter]

It's difficult to imagine anything scummier, sleazier, skeezier than the 2011 GOP. But as 2012 approaches, these regressive scuzbuckets will assuredly outdo themselves.

How to get out of this pickle?:

Vote President Obama, 2012!!!!!!!!

Vote U.S. Senate Democrats, 2012!!!!!!

Vote U.S. House of Representatives Democrats, 2012!!!!

[lucilioness]

Not surprised at all. I hope the people who live in Boehner and Cantor's districts understand that they don't give a rat's ass about the decrepid bridges in their states, the economy, the unemployed, or a decent education for our precious children. We get it...they want Obama to lose in 2012. But, the president is a good man who cares about all Americans. After pulling a stunt like this, the GOP has all but assured that Mr. Obama will indeed be a two-term president.

[doe59]

I am sick and tired of the antics of this Congress. They all need to go.

[JohnGalt34609]

I think this issue was lost in the first few pages of comments yesterday. Perhaps today's posters will have an answer.

When will a Democrat representative actually sponsor the President's bill and submit it for consideration in the House?

The article curiously omits the fact that, as of today, nearly a week after Obama released his bill, no Democrat has yet sponsored this bill and place the bill in the hopper for consideration by the House.

If it's such a good plan, why aren't the Democrats sponsoring his bill and starting the process?

When Obama made his speech on September 8, he repeatedly said, "Pass this bill immediately." At that point, his bill hadn't even been written yet. He went beyond Pelosi's, "You have to pass the bill so you can see what's in it." On September 8, Obama moved on to a new model: You have to pass this bill immediately so we can write it.

Now, he has presented his bill, but nobody in the House has sponsored this bill and submitted it for consideration. Any Representative can do that. The fact that no Democrat has stepped up and sponsored the bill should tell you how Democrats feel about the actual bill that Obama has proposed.

[bantamei]

Republicans have absolutely no interest in creating jobs because if the unemployment rate goes down they fear it would help Obama. They are holding unemployed Americans hostage just to further their election chances. These are some really low life people.

[hilario3]

I hope the American People paint the Republican Party as
'Anti-American' the way Bush's people painted anyone that was
against the Iraq War as 'anti-american'. Painful to see a
Party attempting to Destroy a President by Destroying the
Country and it's people. The Republians do not hide their
hate of the middle-class,minoritys,the poor and the disabled.
What is so wrong to try anything and everything to help
the American people before they lose all hope?