By Brai Odion-Esene

WASHINGTON (MNI) – President Barack Obama Monday unveiled details
of his latest strategy to get the $447 billion jobs bill past Republican
opposition on Capitol Hill, announcing he will push Congress to vote on
individual components of the bill, starting with the $35 billion program
to prevent the layoffs of teachers and first responders.

“We’re going to give members of Congress another chance to step up
to the plate and do the right thing,” he told a crowd of supporters
during remarks at the Asheville Regional Airport in Asheville, North
Carolina. The president is embarking on a three-day ‘American Jobs Act
bus tour’ through North Carolina and Virginia.

“This week I’m going to ask members of Congress to vote on one
component of the plan, which is whether we should put hundreds of
thousands of teachers back in the classroom, and cops back on the street
and firefighters back to work.”

According to a breakdown of the jobs bill, provided by the White
House last month when Obama first put forward his proposals, that
portion of the bill will cost $35 billion and prevent up to 280,000
teacher layoffs.

Obama clearly intends to back Hill Republicans into a corner, and
any vote against aid for teachers — and in particular — policemen and
firefighters could have serious political ramifications for the GOP
heading into election season.

“They’re going to have chance to decide; do we want to make sure
that we’re looking after the men and women who protect our communities
every day,” he said.

After that vote, Obama said he will then press Congress to vote on
the part of the jobs bill that puts construction workers back to work
rebuilding and modernizing the country.

That part of the jobs act will cost $105 billion and, according to
the White House, includes; modernizing schools ($30 billion), immediate
surface transportation ($50 billion), an infrastructure bank ($10
billion), and the rehabilitation/repurposing of vacant property — also
referred to as neighborhood stabilization — ($15 billion).

Following that vote, Obama said he will then call for a vote on the
$5 billion ‘Pathways back to work’ fund, a program designed to give
unemployed Americans “the experience and support they need to get back
into the workforce,” he said.

Also part of the section of the jobs bill, but not specifically
mentioned by the president, is a request for $49 billion for UI reform
and extension, and a jobs tax credit for the long term unemployed that
would cost $8 billion.

“And we’ll ask them to take a stand on whether we should ask people
like me to pay a little more so middle class families and small
businesses can pay a little less,” Obama added.

The jobs plan includes a proposal for tax cuts totalling $70
billion aimed at helping small businesses grow and hire.

Those are the choices that members of Congress will face in the
coming weeks, the president said. And if they vote against these
proposals again, Obama warned, laying down the gauntlet, “They are not
going to have to answer to me, they are going to have to answer to you.”

** Market News International Washington Bureau: 202-371-2121 **

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