President Obama launched another wave in his assault on Congress over his jobs bill Saturday, using his weekly radio address to urge Americans contact their representatives in support of the legislation.
The president previewed the speech he plans to give Monday in which he will explain his plan to pay for the bill. The plan will follow the basic principles of “making sure we live within our means and asking everyone to pay their fair share,” Obama said.
Obama said Monday that the funds to support the $447 billion jobs bill should come from higher taxes on the rich and businesses. Although Obama reiterated that both Republicans and Democrats have supported everything in the American Jobs Act in the past, the GOP has balked at the price tag and the proposed method for paying for it.
Obama accused some Republican members of Congress of putting off the bipartisan effort to create jobs in the hopes of winning in the next elections.
“But most Americans don’t have the luxury of waiting,” Obama said. “It’s time for the people you sent to Washington to put country before party – to stop worrying so much about their jobs and start worrying more about yours.”
Obama urged his audience to visit the White House website and read the bill for themselves. "And if they’re ideas you agree with, too, every one of you can help make it happen by telling your congressperson to pass this jobs bill right away," he said.
Obama has repeatedly called on the public in several speeches given this week to support his campaign to pass the bill by calling, writing, tweeting, and "showing up" in order to urge their lawmakers to vote for the bill.
The American Jobs Act will get “back to a place where we’re creating good, middle-class jobs that pay well and offer some security,” Obama said.
