Obama touts job initiative for military families ahead of July 4 holiday

President Obama is praising a new jobs initiative aimed at helping military spouses achieve occupational stability just days before he hosts a July 4th celebration with American troops, veterans and their families at the White House.

"Our troops are often transferred from base to base -- it's part of the job," the president said in a video published Saturday. "And because their families serve with them, that means their spouses move 10 times more often than the rest of us -- 10 times more often. That's tough on a career."

The constant relocation, Mr. Obama said, also makes it difficult for military spouses in professions that require licenses or certifications -- including fields like nursing, child care, accounting -- to continue their jobs without having to re-certify.

He gave examples: "A nurse with years of experience might have to take entry-level classes, or pay a fee or wait months for paperwork to be processed before he or she could get back to work on the job they love and that lets them support their families."

The re-certification requirements, the president added, "didn't make any sense."

"So we changed it," he said, giving credit to his wife, Michelle Obama, and Dr. Jill Biden for leading the charge.

"This week, we reached a milestone," the president said. "Today, all 50 states have acted to streamline many of these licensing issues."

He noted that though "this is a big step forward," the work was "not done yet."

"We're going to keep working with states to make licensing simpler for more jobs and reach more qualified workers," Mr. Obama said. "But we can finally say to so many of our military families - when you move, you'll no longer be forced to put the career you love on hold just because you and your families have chosen to serve this country."

Republicans also chose to commemorate military service members in their weekly address video -- and specifically honor those that served in Benghazi, Libya, during the 2012 terror attack on a U.S. compound.

"On behalf of a grateful nation, we honor the service and sacrifice made by Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods and all those who served in Benghazi," Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-South Carolina, said in the video. "On this Independence Day weekend, we recognize them as true American heroes and patriots. And we thank them, and we thank their loved ones."

The Republicans' address comes on the heels of an 800-page report released by the GOP members of the House committee investigating Benghazi, which faulted the Obama administration for the attack.

"The Select Committee on Benghazi sought from the beginning to tell their story and provide the final, definitive accounting of that fateful night for their families and the American people," Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Georgia, said. "It is because of this investigation, we now know no American forces were ever going to Benghazi the night of the attacks."

Gowdy, the panel's chairman, criticized the Obama administration for instead discussing the possibility that night that an inflammatory online video had sparked the attack along with other minor details.

"It is sad and telling that instead of a singular focus on rescuing our people in harm's way, key decision-makers in the administration were worried about a video and the appearance that our rescuers could be perceived as invaders because of the clothes they were wearing," Gowdy said.

Rep. Susan Brooks, R-Indiana, added: "The real story of Benghazi is truly a tale of two cities. In Benghazi, where our people were valiantly fighting for their lives, and Washington, D.C., where administration officials sat on a teleconference and talked for two hours.