President Obama urged Congress to pass the "Buffett Rule" during a speech on economic fairness and reforming the tax code at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Tuesday afternoon.
"You might have heard of this, but Warren Buffett is paying a lower tax rate than his secretary. Now that's wrong. That's not fair and so we've got to choose which direction we want this country to go in," said Obama during the speech. "I've already told you where I stand, now it's time for members of Congress to tell you where they stand."
Obama's "Buffett Rule" proposal would raise the effective tax rate for the wealthy on investment income to at least 30 percent.
The Senate is expected to vote on the Buffett Rule proposal next week, although the legislation will likely fall short of the 60 votes it needs to pass.
The president was clearly among supporters during the speech. Cheers of enthusiasm for the president and his proposals could be heard throughout his remarks. At one point the president replied to a crowd member "I love you back," a now-common response from Obama at his speeches.
He called on the college audience to reach out to their members of Congress by email, phone and Tweet.
"Tell them don't give tax breaks to folks like me who don't need them. Tell them to start investing in the things that will help the economy grow … remind them who they work for. Tell them to do the right thing," Obama said.
He also spoke directly to the concerns of university students, calling for investments in education and "making college more affordable."
The president's visit to Florida, a swing state that went for Obama in 2008, also includes three campaign events.
For more on Obama's "Buffett Rule" push from The Hill's Amie Parnes, who is traveling with the president in the Sunshine State,
click here.
