The AP wrote on Saturday, “The White House and congressional Republicans just can’t agree on the best prescription for the economy, with President Barack Obama demanding passage of his $447 billion jobs bill and the GOP pushing to cut government red tape. . . . ‘It is time for Congress to get its act together and pass this jobs bill so I can sign it into law,’ he said in his Saturday address. The president has mounted a steady public campaign on behalf of his bill, trying to cast Congress and Republicans in particular as obstacles. With a populist flair, Obama has barnstormed across the country to prod Congress, so far to no avail. The stops have come in contested election states such as Ohio, North Carolina, Colorado and Virginia, and the president has taken his message directly to the districts of leading Republicans. On Tuesday, he will go to the Texas district represented by GOP Rep. Jeb Hensarling, co-chairman of a special deficit reduction committee in Congress.”

However, the AP points out, “Three weeks after Obama submitted his legislation, the Democratic-controlled Senate has yet to consider it.”

And the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Jamie Dupree reports, “President Obama is certain to again demand action this week in Congress on his jobs creation package, but for now, there is no rush by Democrats in the Senate to even bring the measure up for floor debate.”

Durpree explains, “The President will have the chance to make [his] point in a full day of campaign travel on Tuesday, as he goes to Texas and Missouri, which the White House told reporters has a clear goal. . . . But while the White House will again be calling for action by lawmakers, the first order of business in the Senate this week – that would the Senate which is controlled by the President’s own party – will be a measure on China’s currency.”

Further, Dupree notes, “At this point, Democrats probably don’t have 50 votes for the underlying Obama jobs bill, as Democrats are split for a variety of reasons. Some Senate Democrats don’t like the way the plan is paid for with higher taxes; others don’t like higher tax levies on the oil and gas industry as well as other details. . . . So, while you may hear President Obama say, ‘Pass this bill’ again this week, that jobs bill is not going anywhere fast in the Congress as the month of October begins.”

Related:

Rasmussen Reports: If Taxes Hiked to Reduce Deficit, 62% Think It Will Be Spent on New Programs

Comments

comments