American Jobs Act
 | It has been suggested that Barack Obama speech to joint session of Congress, September 2011 be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since September 2011. |
The American Jobs Act is a proposed piece of legislation presented by US President Barack Obama in a nationally televised address[1] to a joint session of Congress on September 8, 2011.[2] He said that it consisted of a set of non-controversial proposals all designed to get Americans back to work, and he repeatedly urged congress to pass the bill "right away"; he also said that the bill would not add to the national deficit and is already paid for. This bill has been anticipating criticism that the legislation was motivated by the upcoming election; the President pointed out that the election is fourteen months away and that Americans do not have the luxury of waiting fourteen months for jobs to be created.[2]
Background
In July 2011, the U.S. Congress agreed on raising the debt ceiling and a reduction in deficits within the next decade; following this bill, Standard & Poor's downgraded the United States top credit rating from AAA to AA+ citing various factors including the long term political struggle to raise the debt ceiling and a lack of credible plans to reduce federal spending and increase tax revenue.[3] This is all due to the worse than estimated economic data released in July and August 2011 where worldwide stock markets tumbled quickly raising the fear of a new recession.[4] At the end of August, President Obama announced a major speech in front of a joint session of Congress detailing a new jobs package. The date of the speech sparked controversy as the announced preliminary date of September 7 was rejected by Speaker of the House John Boehner due to a conflict with a previously scheduled Republican presidential debate. The speech was subsequently scheduled for September 8.[5]
Talking Points
- Tax Cuts to Help America’s Small Businesses Hire and Grow.[6]
- Putting Workers Back on the Job While Rebuilding and Modernizing America.[7]
- Pathways Back to Work for Americans Looking for Jobs.[8]
- Tax Relief for Every American Worker and Family.[9]
- Fully Paid for as Part of the President’s Long-Term Deficit Reduction Plan.[10]
Reception by Republicans
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor indicated that it was unreasonable for the President to expect the proposed legislation to be passed quickly. "Insisting that this body and the two sides here agree on everything is not a reasonable expectation," said Cantor.[11] President Obama has appeared before constituents of Eric Cantor's Virginia district to press the Congress to immediately pass his bill next week. Some Republicans in the House requested the bill be reviewed by the Congressional Budget Office.[12]
References
- ^ "Full text of Barack Obama's jobs speech". The Guardian. 2011-09-09. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
- ^ a b Sutton, Nikki (2011-09-01). "The President's Jobs Address Enhanced with Charts and Stats". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
- ^ U.S. Loses AAA Credit Rating as S&P Slams Debt Levels, Political Process
- ^ Condon, Bernard; Rugaber, Christopher (2011-08-22). "Fear feeds Faltering Stock market". The Associated Press. The Olympian. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
- ^ Bobic, Igor (2011-09-01). "Speechgate: How Obama's Jobs Address Got Postponed". Talking Points Memo. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
- ^ American Jobs Act: Helping Small Businesses
- ^ American Jobs Act: Putting Workers Back on the Job
- ^ American Jobs Act: Pathways to Work
- ^ American Jobs Act: Payroll Tax Cuts
- ^ American Jobs Act: Reducing the Deficit
- ^ MacAskill, Ewen (2011-09-09). "Barack Obama Facing Standoff with Congress Over US Jobs Plan". The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
- ^ Runningen, Roger; Talev, Margaret (2011-09-09). "Obama Tells Virginia Voters to Press U.S. Congress for Action on Jobs Plan". Retrieved 2011-09-09.
