Black Caucus to meet with Obama about jobs

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) said they'll meet with President Barack Obama on Thursday to talk about job creation.

Several CBC members told The Hill that they're scheduled to meet with the president at 1:45 Thursday afternoon at the White House.

Most of the Black Caucus voted against the $15 billion jobs bill that squeaked by the House last week. CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee and other caucus leaders dismissed the bill as too small and ineffective to deal with the high unemployment rate, which is 9.7 percent nationally and nearly 14 percent for blacks, according to the Labor Department.

The CBC has called for government programs that hire unemployed youth during the summer, train jobless workers and provide credit to businesses in hard-hit areas.

Update, 9:57 p.m.: The White House said Obama's meeting with the Black Caucus will be on health reform. The president will also meet with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on healthcare Thursday. That meeting is scheduled for 6:20 p.m.