White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said that President Barack Obama will “continue” to “hope and pray” for the House and Senate to pass portions of his $447 billion jobs bill.
“It’s been nearly two months since President Obama unveiled his jobs bill,” a reporter said to Carney at the White House press briefing on Wednesday. “He’s given, by my count, 27 speeches, gone to eight states with it … At what point does the president acknowledge that he’s got a stalemate that he’s dealing with, and it’s time to try something else or reach out to work out a deal that doesn’t yet exist?”
“He’ll never acknowledge that more cannot be done or should not be done by Congress on jobs and the economy. Never,” Carney replied. “He will continue to press Congress to take up the provisions of the American Jobs Act in the Senate, as Sen. Reid has said, the Senate will, and hope and pray that — referring again to the Almighty — that the House will feel pressure enough from its constituents — that House Republicans will do the same.” (SEE ALSO: ‘God wants to see us’ create American jobs, says Obama)
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President Obama criticized the GOP-led House on Wednesday for passing legislation that reaffirms the “In God We Trust” national motto instead of considering parts of his jobs bill.
“That’s not putting people back to work. I trust in God, but God wants to see us help ourselves by putting people back to work,” Obama said.
“Now, I do not believe, or I find it hard to believe, we find it hard to believe that Congress will do nothing before the end of the year on the jobs act, and specifically on provisions that would help the economy grow, put money in Americans’ pockets. It would defy all of my years of experience covering and now working in this field, given where the public is,” Carney told reporters on Wednesday.
“The president will not rest until he believes every American who is looking for a job can find one, that the economy is growing sufficiently, and that our economic foundation is strong enough to allow us to compete and win the 21st century the way we won the 20th.”
Despite the legislation failing in the Senate, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has continued his push for passage of a $35 billion stimulus package, originally part of the president’s jobs bill, which would give money to states for the hiring of police, firefighters and teachers.