President Obama sending jobs bill to Congress

GlobalPost

President Barack Obama will send his $447 billion jobs bill to Congress on Monday.

"This is a bill that will put people back to work all across the country," Obama told a crowd of teachers, veterans, small-business owners and others at the White House on Monday morning, according to CNN. "This is a bill that will help our economy in a moment of national crisis. This is a bill that is based on ideas from both Democrats and Republicans, and this is the bill that Congress needs to pass."

Obama urged Congress to act quickly on his proposal, which includes tax cuts, aid to states and infrastructure spending. The President unveiled the proposal, called the American Jobs Act, in a speech before a joint session of Congress last Thursday.

"There are some in Washington who would rather settle our differences through politics and the elections than try to resolve them now," Obama said Monday morning. "[But the] fact of the matter is the next election is 14 months away. The American people don't have the luxury of waiting 14 months for Congress to take action."

After Obama's remarks, House Speaker John Boehner released a statement saying he will immediately send the legislation to be scored by the Congressional Budget Office. But he also struck a skeptical note.

"The record of the economic proposals enacted during the last Congress necessitates careful examination of the president's latest plan as well as consideration of alternative measures that may more effectively support private-sector job creation," Boehner said. "It is my hope that we will be able to work together to put in place the best ideas of both parties and help put Americans back to work."

CBS News reports that the Democratic National Committee on Monday rolled out a PR campaign for Obama's bill, which will include television ads, online ads and a website. The ads will start airing Tuesday in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

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