Politics

Obama says new jobs plan contains more than ‘just random investments’

Will Rahn Senior Editor
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President Obama hit familiar themes as he once again pushed his $447 billion jobs plan in a press conference Thursday.

“I think by now I’ve made my views pretty well known,” the president said. “Some of you are even keeping a tally of how many times I’ve talked about the American Jobs Act.” The plan, which currently has no Democratic co-sponsors in Congress, promises “tax cuts for virtually every small business and worker” according to Obama.

In addition to cutting taxes, Obama said the bill will help rebuild American infrastructure and put laid-off public sector workers back to work. The bill, Obama continued, was “not just random investments.”

Obama also said the plan will help insulate the US from the unfolding European financial crisis and is supported by “independent experts.”

If the plan is not passed, Obama said, “there will be fewer jobs, there will be weaker growth.”

Republicans, meanwhile, have already said that Obama’s bill would be dead on arrival in the House of Representatives. “You know, this all-or-nothing approach is unreasonable,” Majority Leader Eric Cantor said on Monday. There are many issues that I have listed here that we can work together on. So instead of continuing to maintain this sort of campaign posture, let’s do something to work together.”

Speaker Boehner has said that Republicans are willing to work with the president on certain aspects of the jobs bill, such as tax incentives for hiring veterans and some infrastructure spending. Without compromises, however, Republicans say the bill has no chance of passage in the Republican-dominated House.