WASHINGTON — After a brief hiatus to mark the 10-year
anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, President Obama will resume his
campaign-style effort to advance his economic plan with a Rose Garden
event Monday morning to announce he is sending the $447-billion bill
Congress’ way.
In his speech to a joint session of
Congress on Thursday, Obama repeatedly urged lawmakers to pass his
economic plan “right now.” But lawmakers had few formal work hours
during the week, their first back in Washington after the August recess.
A
White House official said Obama will be joined at the White House by
people from across the country who would benefit from his proposals,
from teachers and small business owners to veterans and first
responders.
Obama’s proposal is a mix of tax cuts
to spur hiring and juice consumer spending; school and road construction
projects to put people to work right away; and unemployment insurance
benefits.
On Friday, House Republican leaders
wrote to Obama that they looked forward to receiving the full
legislative package and promised to give it swift consideration, even as
they signaled they were likely to recommend changes and alternative
proposals.
Specifically the GOP said it would be
best to offer an a la carte approach, rather then move an all-or-nothing
single piece of legislation.
They’d also be
seeking a full analysis of the plan and its cost from the non-partisan
Congressional Budget Office. Obama has pledged the bill would be fully
paid for, but his speech to Congress lacked a full accounting for how
that would be achieved.
Obama began selling his
offering to jolt a flagging economy on Friday during an event in
Richmond, Va. He’ll again head outside the Beltway this week to push
Congress to act, with events in Columbus, Ohio, and Raleigh, N.C.,
planned for Tuesday and Wednesday. All are notable stops given the
likelihood those states will again be key electoral battlegrounds.
The
Democratic National Committee is also supporting the White House’s
efforts. It has launched an ad campaign in eight swing states urging
viewers to read the president’s plan and “fight for it.”
———
©2011 Tribune Co.
Visit Tribune Co. at www.latimes.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services
