WASHINGTON — House Republicans unexpectedly pledged an immediate review of President Barack Obama’s jobs proposals Friday as he launched a public campaign for passage of his day-old $447 billion program of tax cuts and new spending.
“Nothing radical in this bill,” Obama told a large crowd at the University of Richmond on the afternoon after his speech to Congress. “Everything in it will put more people back to work and more money back in the pockets of those who are working. Everything in it will be paid for.”
Obama’s contentions are unlikely to go unchallenged by Republicans, who have worked without letup for months to cut spending rather than increase it. But he had barely completed his remarks when Speaker John Boehner and other top House GOP leaders released their letter to him declaring “our desire to work with you to find common ground.”
With unemployment at 9.1 percent, they wrote that although their own proposals might differ from Obama’s, “we believe your ideas merit consideration by the Congress and believe the American people expect them to be given such consideration.”
The letter was far different in tone from remarks earlier in the day by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Announcing plans to begin work on the legislation as soon as possible, the Nevada Democrat offered no timetable and urged “reasonable Republicans to resist the voices of those who would oppose this legislation — and root for our economy to fail.”
They must not “continue to bow to Tea Party Republicans willing to do anything to hurt the president,” which is hurting our economy instead, he said.
Taken together, the day’s events underscored the primacy of the issue of joblessness in a country where millions have been out of work for months, true unemployment exceeds the government’s measurement of 9.1 percent and the economy is barely growing.
“This has been a terrible recession,” Obama said in Richmond, Va., although by traditional guidelines, the economic downturn ended more than two years ago.
Public opinion polls show Obama’s approval sinking, but Congress’ own marks are exceedingly low. One of the major unknowns when lawmakers returned from their August break was whether political leaders would reach for compromise or at least disagree more politely than they had this summer.
The centerpiece of Obama’s plan is lower Social Security payroll taxes for individuals and businesses, along with new tax credits for companies that hire the long-term unemployed or veterans. Obama also wants to extend the program that provides unemployment benefits through 2012, and renew an existing tax break for businesses that purchase new equipment.
Despite expressions of urgency, it could be weeks or months before debate begins on the floor of the House or Senate.
