Jobs News

President Obama Meets with Cabinet to Discuss Job Creation

President Barack Obama meets with the Cabinet in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Oct. 3, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama today met with his Cabinet to talk about the most pressing issue facing the country right now: Putting America back to work. The President is waiting for Congress to take action on the American Jobs Act, which he introduced at a Joint Session in early September. But in the meantime, the President is committed to having the entire administration and all agencies to do everything possible that does not require Congress’s help, as he said before the meeting today:

Each of the Secretaries and heads of agencies have been assigned to look at what we can do administratively to accelerate job growth over the next several months.  And working with the Jobs Council that we’ve set up, working with the private sector, we have been looking for a wide range of ideas of administrative action we can take. A good example would be, for example, accelerating the payments to small businesses so that they’ve got better cash flow; trying to figure out ways that we can be working in the housing market without congressional action to provide some relief for homeowners. 

The American Jobs Act Will Put Pennsylvanians Back to Work

Today, I had the opportunity to travel to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to meet with local business leaders and workers to discuss how President Obama’s new jobs proposal – the American Jobs Act – will put more Pennsylvanians back to work now.  During my trip, I joined Mayor Michael Nutter for a visit to Superfit, Inc., a jewelry manufacturer in downtown Philadelphia. I then hosted a meeting of the White House Business Council in the Mayor’s office in City Hall.  

Superfit, Inc., which is owned and operated by Gena Alulis, manufactures and distributes custom rings to the worldwide jewelry market.  Founded in 1992, the firm's unique product features a hinged design that allows the ring to open and close easily, safely, and securely.  Ms. Alulis led me on a tour of Superfit’s factory and I saw firsthand the production of this great American product.  I learned during the tour that Superfit recently relocated its headquarters to downtown Philadelphia, where the company was able to expand production and hire additional employees.  The American Jobs Act will provide a small business tax cut to Ms. Alulis, which will allow her to bring on even more workers.  I also learned that Superfit currently exports to several countries, including the United Kingdom and Canada.  At USTR we are working to open markets around the world through the President's National Export Initiative so businesses like Superfit can increase exports.

After my visit to Superfit, local government and business leaders joined me for a White House Business Council meeting at Philadelphia’s historic City Hall. During the meeting, I had a very productive dialogue with about two dozen local business and community leaders. I discussed how the American Jobs Act will put workers in the Keystone State back to work, and help hard-working families in these difficult economic times. I spoke with them about all the ways the American Jobs Act, if passed by Congress, will benefit their businesses, workers, and families.    

For example, the American Jobs Act will cut taxes to help an estimated 230,000 Pennsylvania businesses – like Superfit – hire and grow. It will provide hard-working Pennsylvania families with a payroll tax cut that will save them an average of $1,500 a year. The American Jobs Act will invest at least $1.3 billion to help put thousands of Philadelphia-area construction workers back to work repairing crumbling roads, bridges, and schools.   

Additionally, the American Jobs Act will send $1.1 billion to Pennsylvania state and local governments to prevent layoffs and support up to 14,400 teachers, police, firefighters, and first responders – which, as Mayor Nutter will tell you, will provide a much-needed boost for Philadelphia right now. It also extends unemployment benefits to help Pennsylvanians looking for work continue to support their families. And the American Jobs Act is fully paid for. It won’t add a dime to the federal deficit. 

As the President says frequently, “the purpose of the American Jobs Act is simple: to put more people back to work and more money in the pockets of those who are working.”  That’s exactly what it will do for workers in the City of Brotherly Love.

See how America's mayors say the American Jobs Act will impact their cities

See how other American mayors say the American Jobs Act will impact their cities

Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, California
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore, Maryland
Mayor Michael Hancock of Denver, Colorado
Mayor Mark Mallory of Cincinnati, Ohio
Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville, Kentucky
Mayor Sly James of Kansas City
Mayor Phil Gordon of Phoenix, Arizona
 

American Jobs Act: Keeping First Responders on the Beat and Improving Emergency Communication

Vice President Joe Biden gives a speech on the American Jobs Act at the Alexandria Police Department in Alexandria, VA, September 29, 2011. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

Vice President Biden made a short hop across the Potomac yesterday to the Alexandria Police Department in Alexandria, Virginia where he delivered remarks on how the American Jobs Act would help keep police officers and first responders on the beat in northern Virginia and across the country.

Alexandria is just one of thousands of communities where police forces have taken a hit due to budget cutbacks. Thanks to an $800,000 Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant announced on Wednesday, the Alexandria Police Department will be able to put four out of nine of the officers they lost back on patrol. The American Jobs Act, as Vice President Biden said, would fund an additional $4 billion in COPS grants – like the one awarded to Alexandria – that would support the hiring, re-hiring and retention of officers in departments nationwide.

Vice President Biden went on to describe cities like Flint, Michigan, where two thirds of the police force has been laid off in the last 3 years, and Cleveland, Ohio, where the police academy graduated a class of 100 officers – all of whom had to turn in their badge and gun right after graduation because there were no positions available.

“We need to help these departments,” said the Vice President. “When you cut forces, and you cut them significantly, it not only diminishes public safety, it diminishes your ability to stay safe.”

Kansas City Mayor: Jobs Are at the Forefront of People’s Minds

Kansas City Mayor Sly James can tell his city is in trouble by looking up at the sky. "There are no more cranes. When there are no more cranes in the city, that’s not a good sign. Because that means not much is getting done. The ripple effect of not being able to build has a huge impact on all sorts of other subsidiary industries. We have roads that are in need of repair and rebuilding, we have bridges that need work, we have water systems that are in desperate need of reworking. And we need the assistance of the Federal government in order to get those big-ticket items done."

The American Job Act will help James answer the one question he says the residents of his Missouri city ask any time he leaves the office, “'Mayor, where can I get a job? Mayor can you help me get a job? Mayor can you help my brother or my mother get a job?”'Jobs are at the forefront of people’s minds."
 

Watch Kansas City Mayor Sly James Support the American Jobs Act, here. 

See how other mayors say the American Jobs Act will impact their cities:

Mayor Dayne Walling of Flint, Michigan
Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, California
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore, Maryland
Mayor Michael Hancock of Denver, Colorado
Mayor Mark Mallory of Cincinnati, Ohio
Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville, Kentucky
Mayor Phil Gordon of Phoenix, Arizona

Creating Jobs, Opportunity Through Transit Investments

Ed. Note: Cross-posted with the Fast Lane

Since President Obama introduced the American Jobs Act a few weeks ago, Secretary LaHood has been an outspoken advocate for its passage, and with good reason.

On Monday, for example, Brian Lombardozzi, a senior policy analyst with the BlueGreen Alliance, joined me to discuss the importance of investing in job-creating transit projects.  And yesterday, I had the chance to extend that conversation at a conference called "Building the Future: New York State Transit Manufacturing Conference."

This extended discussion fits President Obama and Secretary LaHood's message perfectly because transit investments create jobs and opportunities.

Transit literally connects people with opportunities.  It connects them to jobs, to school, to the grocery store. It connects customers to businesses.  For many Americans and American businesses, it’s an absolute lifeline.

But in many places, that lifeline is crumbling.  If we're going to be honest with ourselves, we have to acknowledge that our major transit systems were built and paid for by our parents and grandparents.  The American Jobs Act would provide $9 billion for thousands of jobs repairing bus and rail transit systems.  Once Congress passes the Act, that money will go out quickly and easily into the economy, creating jobs and helping get our transit systems up to speed.

As I told conference-goers yesterday, the same outcome holds true for American Jobs Act investments in roads, runways, and rail.

 

Watch Live: President Obama’s Open for Questions Roundtable

Over the last week, Yahoo!, MSN Latino, AOL Latino and HuffPost LatinoVoices have been collecting your questions for President Obama on issues like the economy, job creation, education and fixing our immigration system to meet our 21^st century economic and security needs.

Today, President Obama will hear from you in a special Open for Question roundtable addressing questions that you submitted to Yahoo!, MSN Latino, AOL Latino and HuffPost LatinoVoices. The roundtable will be available in both English and Spanish.

Tune in to the discussion live at 11:25 a.m. EDT at WhiteHouse.gov/live and learn more about President Obama’s commitment to increasing opportunity for the Hispanic community and all Americans.

President Obama: We Need to Do Everything We Can to Prepare Our Kids for the Future

President Barack Obama waves to the crowd after addressing Abraham Lincoln High School, Denver, Colorado, Sept. 27, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Today, President Obama visited the Abraham Lincoln High School in Denver, Colorado to talk about how the American Jobs Act will help modernize schools like Lincoln High all across the country. The President is proposing a $25 billion investment in school infrastructure to repair and upgrade at least 35,000 public schools because, as he said today, “Every child deserves a great school – and we can give it to them. We can rebuild our schools for the 21^st century, with faster internet, smarter labs and cutting-edge technology.” 

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) awarded the United States a ‘D’ for the condition of our public school infrastructure and the statistics are grim. The average public school building in the United States is over 40 years old, and many are much older. Schools spend over $6 billion annually on their energy bills, more than they spend on computers and textbooks combined.  Forty three states reported that one-third or more of their schools do not meet all of the functional requirements necessary to effectively teach laboratory science, knowledge that is critical if we are to prepare our children for the jobs of the future. The Job Act’s school infrastructure funds can be used for a range of much needed emergency projects, including greening and energy efficiency upgrades, asbestos removal and modernization efforts to build new science and computer labs and upgrade the technology infrastructure in our schools. The President’s goal is to create a better, safer learning environment for all students: 

President Obama's Town Hall with LinkedIn: "We are in this thing Together"

President Barack Obama answers an audience member's question during a Town Hall meeting sponsored by LinkedIn at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, Sept. 26, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

Today, President Obama was at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California for a discussion on putting America back to work with members of LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network with more than 120 million users worldwide. LinkedIn members from Gainesville, Florida to Phoenix, Arizona submitted their questions on the economy and jobs for the President to answer during the live Town Hall.

LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner kicked off the Town Hall, noting the role of passing the American Jobs Act in putting the country back to work:

There's one number you may be less familiar with, and that's 3.2 million, the number of available jobs in this country -- 3.2 million.  We have everything we need to begin to put this country back to work -- the raw materials, the basic building blocks and, perhaps most importantly, the will of a nation.  What we need is the way.  With the American Jobs Act, our President is leading the way.

Then he turned it over to President Obama to say a few words before diving into questions:

As you mentioned, I put forward a proposal, the American Jobs Act, that would put thousands of teachers back into the classrooms who have been laid off due to downturns in state and local budgets; that would make sure that we are rebuilding our infrastructure -- taking extraordinary numbers of construction workers who have been laid off when the housing bubbles went bust and putting them to work rebuilding our roads and our airports and our schools, and laying broadband lines -- all the things that help us make a success; and also make sure that we’re providing small businesses the kinds of tax incentives that will allow them to hire and allow them to succeed. 

The American Jobs Act: Your Questions Answered

On September 8, President Obama called on Congress to pass the American Jobs Act, his plan to put more people back to work and more money in the pockets of those who are working. And a week ago today, he explained how he would ensure the American Jobs Act does not add a dime to our deficit and proposed a balanced approach to getting our financial house in order. 

Here in the White House we have been getting lots of feedback on the President’s plans from citizens across the country who have called, e-mailed, tweeted and posted to express their opinions and ask questions. So below are responses to some of the questions, criticisms and misconceptions that we have heard so far. 

The President Knows Congress Will Not Pass His Plan So He Is Just Wasting Our Time.

While it is up to Congress to decide if it will pass the President’s American Jobs Act so he can sign it into law, there is no reason that Congress shouldn’t. As the President explained in his address, every proposal in the American Jobs Act “is the kind of proposal that's been supported by both Democrats and Republicans.” The President’s plan will cut taxes for working Americans and small businesses and put construction workers, teachers, police officers and firefighters, veterans and the long-term unemployed back to work. And President Obama laid out a plan to pay for it, by closing tax loopholes for millionaires and billionaires as well as hedge fund managers, private jet owners and oil companies – although he has called on the Joint Committee to make the final decision on how to make sure that it will not add to our deficit. So there’s no reason the Congress should not pass this bill.  

Americans Already Pay Too Much To The Government – The Last Thing We Should Do Is Raise Taxes.

The President’s proposal to repeal the tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans and close loopholes and subsidies for big corporations, oil companies, hedge fund managers and corporate jet owners is part of a balanced approach to getting our financial house in order. It’s an approach that asks everyone to pay their fair share and makes sure everyone gets a fair shake. Recognizing that the economy remains fragile, the plan includes no tax increases for anyone in 2011 or 2012—and, in fact,  includes $245 billion in tax cuts for workers and small businesses in these years. And the President’s plan lives up to the simple idea that we can live within our means while still making the investments we need to grow our economy, compete globally and create jobs that will ensure our future prosperity in areas including education, innovation, clean energy and infrastructure. 

As the President said in his speech last week, this is about choices: “Either we ask the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share in taxes, or we’re going to have to ask seniors to pay more for Medicare. We can’t afford to do both. Either we gut education and medical research, or we’ve got to reform the tax code so that the most profitable corporations have to give up tax loopholes that other companies don’t get. We can’t afford to do both. This is not class warfare. It’s math.”   

The Last Stimulus Did Not Create Jobs And This One Will Not Create Jobs Either. 

Despite what critics of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act say, independent economists have determined that it did create jobs. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office found that the Recovery Act created or saved as many as 3.5 million jobs as of the end of last year. And Macroeconomic Advisors, Moody’s Economy.com and IHS/Global Insight all similarly found that it created or saved well over 2 million jobs as of that point. 

As the President said in his Address to a Joint Session of Congress, “The purpose of the American Jobs Act is simple: to put more people back to work and more money in the pockets of those who are working.” And outside experts agree. Moody’s Analytics’ Mark Zandi estimates that if Congress passed the American Jobs Act, it would add 1.9 million jobs and 2 percentage points to GDP growth in 2012. And Macroeconomic Advisors estimates that it would add 1.3 million by the end of 2012. So you don’t have to take it from us – outside experts say the American Jobs Act will put Americans back to work and grow the economy. 

How Does the American Jobs Act Help Students Gain Employment?

Students, like other workers, will benefit from the payroll tax cuts that the President has proposed to spur businesses to hire. The President’s plan would completely refund payroll taxes paid on added workers or wage increases for current workers above the level of last year’s payroll, encouraging firms to hire additional employees or raise wages for their current employees. The Act also includes $1.5 billion for summer jobs and year-round employment for low-income youth ages 16-24. Such programs can not only provide young people with their first paycheck, but also teach them life-long employment skills.    

What Will the Jobs Act Do to Help People Who Are Self-Employed?

All small business owners, including those who are self-employed, would benefit from the President’s proposed tax cuts for small businesses. These tax cuts will cut employer and self-employment payroll taxes in half, and extend 100% expensing provisions that provide an incentive for investment. And if self-employed or home-based businesses want to expand, they will receive a tax break for hiring new workers.

The President’s plan also makes it easier for states to allow unemployed workers to create their own jobs by starting their own businesses, by allowing states across the nation to use federal funds to support self-employment assistance programs. The President’s plan will also enable states to connect entrepreneurs with mentoring and access to capital through SBA and other public and private resources.

 How Will You Ensure Job Creation and "Stimulus" Opportunities and Dollars Actually Reach Minority Small Businesses?

The President is proposing tax cuts that will go to every small business nationwide – including over 100,000 African-American-owned small businesses and 250,000 Hispanic-owned small businesses. These tax cuts will cut employer payroll taxes in half for these businesses, provide them with an added bonus for increasing their payroll, and extend 100% expensing provisions that provide an incentive for investment. 

Additionally, the President’s plan includes administrative, regulatory and legislative measures to help small firms, including those owned by minorities start and expand. These measures include speeding up government payments to small businesses, reducing their regulatory burdens and removing some withholding requirements that keep capital out of the hands of job creators.

How Will the American Jobs Act Address Technology Gaps between Rural and Urban Areas, and what Incentives Will It Offer to Technology Entrepreneurs?

The American Jobs Act will invest in developing and deploying a nationwide wireless network for use by first responders and free up public and private spectrum to enable the private sector to deploy high-speed wireless services to at least 98 percent of Americans, even those living in remote rural and farming communities. 

The President’s plan will also support technology entrepreneurs by investing $30 billion to renovate and modernize our nation’s schools and community colleges. Part of this funding will be used to build new science and computer labs and to upgrade technology in our schools. 

Finally, technology entrepreneurs, like all small businesses would benefit from the President’s proposed tax cuts for small businesses. These tax cuts will cut employer payroll taxes in half for these businesses, provide them with an added bonus for increasing their payroll, and extend 100% expensing provisions that provide an incentive for investment. 

Click here to learn more about the American Jobs Act. We’ll keep responding to the feedback we hear from you, so keep asking questions, raising concerns and letting us know what you think about the President’s plans.