Today, President Obama kicked off a three-day bus tour bus to tout his American Jobs Act and pressure Congress to move his legislation forward. “We should be talking about jobs,” the President said during his first stop in Fletcher, North Carolina. He then called on the GOP to work with his administration to help pass his jobs bill.
Last week, the Senate voted down the $447 billion measure, but the President said after the vote it is "by no means the end of the fight."
That Senate bill contains much of the language in President Obama's American Jobs Act, but would pay for programs with a 5.6% tax surcharge on millionaires instead of the combination of tax increases on those making more than $250,000 and "loophole" closures the President had sought. Senate Republicans have said they would oppose any new taxes or tax increases.
The Senate GOP released their jobs plan last week at a news conference on Capitol Hill. The plan calls for reforming the tax code, a balanced-budget amendment and a moratorium on all new federal regulations.
Senators John McCain and Rand Paul introduced the plan. Both said they are willing to sit down with President Obama and Democrats to find common ground.
According to the White House, today the President travels to Asheville, North Carolina, to deliver a series of economic policy speeches. On the second day of the tour, he will travel to Virginia where he will discuss jobs and the economy.