The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 09, 2011

Representative Emanuel Cleaver Backs American Jobs Act

Chairman Cleaver's Statement on President's Obama Address to Congress on Job Creation

Washington, DC –  Today, Chairman Emanuel Cleaver released the following statement on President's Obama address to Congress on job creation:

"Today, the Congressional Black Caucus submitted our job creation proposal to the Obama Administration: 'Congressional Black Caucus Job Creation Recommendations: Create, Protect, Rebuild'.  After hearing President Obama's speech this evening, we are pleased that he is taking a step in the right direction.  We are especially pleased about the synergy between the proposal presented by us and the proposal he submitted to Congress for consideration this evening.  President Obama presented a bipartisan solution--something we can all support regardless of political affiliation.  The President's Suggestion of modernizing schools by installing science labs and high speed internet in classrooms, not only ensures our long term global competitiveness as described in our job creation recommendations, it also ensures that future generations learn in the best possible environments.  We are, however, concerned about proposing additional cuts to an already hard-hit budget.  Any additional cuts must come from defense spending, which exceeded $685.1 billion in Fiscal Year 2010.  Additionally, we should proceed with great caution in any proposed reform to Medicare and Medicaid as people of color overwhelmingly rely on these programs.  Our proposal provides nine, targeted solutions for America and are as follows:

CREATE

  • Create and Maintain an Infrastructure Bank to Invest in Our Nation’s Aging Infrastructure
  • Pass a Surface Transportation Bill to Create Millions of Jobs for Our Nation’s Citizens
  • Establish and Revitalize Critical Programs with Tangible Results for Our Nation’s Local Communities

PROTECT

  • Protect Our Nation’s Most Vital Programs to Preserve Our Economic Security
  • Provide Tax Protections for Our Nation’s Citizens to Spur Economic Growth
  • Eliminate Barriers for Small and Medium Business to Ensure Better Economic Opportunity

REBUILD

  • Rebuild, Strengthen, and Retrain Our Nation’s Workforce
  • Reestablish Manufacturing Industry in US to Create More Jobs
  • Revive the Educational Pipeline to Ensure Critical Training for Long Term Global Competitiveness

"The Congressional Black Caucus looks forward to working with President Obama and our colleagues in Congress to immediately remedy the jobs crisis and regain America's competitive edge."

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 09, 2011

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder on American Jobs Act

LANSING, Mich. – Gov. Rick Snyder offered the following thoughts regarding President Obama’s speech Thursday night:

“Tonight the president laid out a plan calling for many changes at the federal level that we have already made here in Michigan.  The president proposed cutting payroll taxes for small businesses in half to encourage job growth; in Michigan, we already ended the double tax on small businesses.  The president proposed ending loopholes for corporations.  In Michigan, we already did that by switching to a flat, 6 percent corporate income tax that is simple, fair and efficient.  These are changes that will help create an environment where jobs can grow, and they should be considered by Congress.

“I urge our leaders in D.C. to continue to follow Michigan’s lead by balancing the budget, paying down long-term debt and saving for the future.  Putting our fiscal house in order will make for a stronger economy and a stronger America.  Michigan is fortunate to have Congressmen Dave Camp and Fred Upton working on these issues through the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.

“Tonight the president called for key infrastructure projects that will boost our economy.  We have a huge opportunity here in Michigan to build the New International Trade Crossing - a privately funded project that is vital to Michigan’s economic future.  Canada is Michigan’s number one customer and we need to expand our ability to export Michigan-made products to the world.  Building the NITC will not cost Michigan taxpayers, and it means Michigan will receive approximately $2.2 billion from the federal government to use for other road projects throughout the state.

“Half of all jobs lost in the entire United States over the past decade were lost right here in Michigan.  We are in a crisis, and cannot afford to waste time on unproductive political posturing and partisan fighting.  It’s time to make the tough decisions needed to reinvent Michigan and reinvent the United States.”

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 09, 2011

AFL-CIO Backs American Jobs Act

Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka

On President Obama’s Jobs Speech

September 8, 2011

The President took an important and necessary step tonight: he started a serious national conversation about how to solve our jobs crisis.  He showed working people that he is willing to go to the mat to create new jobs on a substantial scale.  Tonight’s speech should energize the nation to come together, work hard and get serious about jobs.

As the President explained, we can no longer delay putting Americans back to work and rebuilding our nation’s schools, roads, bridges, transit, ports, rail, communications and energy systems.  And we need to help state and local governments avoid layoffs that are dragging down the economy—rejecting the pernicious myth that the only way to address Wall Street’s crisis is to punish firefighters, teachers and others who perform critical public services.

We call on Congress to act and look forward to working with the President and Congress on all elements of this proposal.

The plan announced by the President is only the opening bid.  We expect to see more proposals in the next weeks and months to put America back to work.  President Obama understands that this economic crisis was not created overnight, and it will not be solved overnight.  The middle class has been under attack for decades.  He understands that we need to rebuild our economy for the 21st century and rebuild our middle class.  But doing this will require a revolution in the way Washington takes on these questions.  Republicans are going to have to stop blocking bills that sustain or create millions of jobs and start offering credible solutions. We don’t have time to waste on the same old failed policies of deregulation and lower taxes that drove our economy off the cliff in the first place.  All our elected leaders will be judged by whether they act with integrity and energy to create good jobs now.

Politicians need to recognize that America’s best days are still before us. We will not accept the disappearance of the American middle class or several more years of crisis-level joblessness.  We can and must solve the jobs crisis and we must start now.  Our country is too good and too rich to weaken our commitment to safety net protections such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Unemployment Insurance.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 09, 2011

President Obama Signs Pennsylvania Emergency Declaration

The President today declared an emergency exists in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and ordered federal aid to supplement commonwealth and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from the Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee beginning on September 3, 2011, and continuing.

The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the counties of Adams, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clinton, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wyoming, and York.

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.  Emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding. 

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Thomas J. McCool as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT:  FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@DHS.GOV

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 08, 2011

Delaware Governor Jack Markell Backs American Jobs Act

Statement from Delaware Governor Jack Markell
“The President made clear that creating jobs and keeping people working remains job one. He challenged the Congress tonight to put aside any personal agendas and move forward to help companies hire, help small businesses grow, create opportunities for people out of work to get back to work and put more money in the pockets of working families. There are responsible, targeted and economically sound proposals here to get people to work. “

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 08, 2011

Representative Steny Hoyer Backs American Jobs Act

Hoyer Statement on President Obama’s Address to a Joint Session of Congress on Jobs

WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today after President Obama unveiled the American Jobs Act during his joint session address to Congress on jobs:

“Tonight the President laid out his plan to create jobs and grow the economy through the American Jobs Act.  He reminded us that everyone should have the chance to 'make it in America' through hard work, and how many fear those days are gone.
 
“That’s why House Democrats developed the Make It In America plan: to restore the manufacturing engine that made our country great, and to renew the faith that working Americans can succeed.  This plan includes several proposals the President discussed tonight, such as the creation of an infrastructure bank to facilitate investments in the roads and bridges that businesses need to thrive, and worker training to give Americans the skills they need to fill jobs that are available now, as well as those of tomorrow.
 
“The American Jobs Act will be paid for.  Reducing the deficit is one of the most important things we can do to strengthen our economy, but we must create jobs for our people.  If we don’t, we will not be able to balance our budget.  The President laid out a path tonight for doing both.
 
“Many of the ideas in the Make It In America plan and that the President discussed are supported by both parties, business and labor. The American Jobs Act can and should be passed swiftly through Congress.  Americans cannot wait any longer for us to take action.”

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 08, 2011

San Francisco, California Mayor Ed Lee Backs American Jobs Act

Statement from San Francisco, California Mayor Ed Lee:
“President Obama’s speech tonight must be a wakeup call to leaders from Washington to Sacramento to San Francisco that it’s time to put politics aside and unite around our nation’s number one priority – creating jobs. The President’s call for aid to cities and states and a renewed commitment to infrastructure investments will directly boost our efforts to create jobs here in San Francisco and keep our City’s economy moving on the right track.”

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 08, 2011

St. Louis, Missouri Mayor Francis Slay Backs American Jobs Act

Statement from St. Louis, Missouri Mayor Francis Slay:
“There are the words that every mayor in America wants to hear from the federal government:  education, innovation, and infrastructure.  President Obama used these words tonight to explain how our country is going to replace jobs, create opportunities, and spur economic growth…I will be on my telephone with some of our biggest and smallest companies telling them that I think the tools President Obama has promised will let them start hiring again, that government will not be in their way.”

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 08, 2011

Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy Backs American Jobs Act

Statement from Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy:
“The President’s proposals will be a direct benefit to Connecticut residents and businesses.  For example, by investing in infrastructure his proposal would put people to work; by funding education he will avoid layoffs of teachers and increased class sizes; and by extending unemployment insurance he will keep out of poverty the approximately 78,000 Connecticut workers who will have exhausted their unemployment benefits by the end of this year.”

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
September 08, 2011

The Center for American Progress Backs American Jobs Act

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Center for American Progress released the following statement in reaction to President Barack Obama’s jobs speech tonight:

Today, 14 million Americans who could be working and producing are unemployed. Persistently high unemployment has left millions of people on the sidelines, depressed wages, dampened consumer demand, and has now brought economic growth to a standstill. America has not faced a jobs crisis of this magnitude since the New Deal.

Tonight, President Obama put forth a plan whose boldness matches the size of the challenge. It is pragmatic and sharply focused on the biggest obstacles holding back economic growth. And it is fiscally responsible.

Though President Obama’s plan has several components, its central thrust is exactly the right one – to address head-on the fundamental lack of demand in the economy caused by the lack of jobs.  Economists and business leaders alike have identified the lack of demand as the key factor dampening confidence and holding back investment.  With so many Americans out of work, and long-term unemployment at record highs, the task of restoring jobs, confidence and growth is not a routine challenge -- and it is not one that will solve itself.

Most of the elements of President Obama’s plan are focused on spurring private sector job growth, including through tax cuts for hiring and capital investments. But the fact is that if the private sector could get us out of this crisis alone, it already would have. Coordinated action is needed, and only government can play that role at a time like this. With a substantial commitment to infrastructure investment, school renovations, and aid to distressed states and localities, President Obama’s plan will provide an immediate jobs boost while enhancing America’s competitiveness for the future.

Americans are angry and deeply skeptical of their leadership. But we believe that President Obama’s address tonight delivered a message that many have been waiting to hear. Instead of engaging in partisan rhetoric or offering bromides, he talked about practical solutions they can envision – putting people back on the job rebuilding schools and roads, rehabilitating communities devastated by foreclosures, transitioning people back into the workforce who have been on the sidelines for too long, and freeing up disposable income through tax relief and refinancing opportunities.

The contrast could not be clearer with the Republican opposition in Congress, which thus far has only produced obstacles to a healthy economic recovery. This summer, congressional Republicans used their shared responsibility for our country’s credit standing to force a political crisis. They have opposed policy after policy on jobs, and threatened tens of thousands of jobs.  The job-killing tactics of Republicans in Congress have to end, and they need to come to the table to address real job proposals. The first test of their willingness to be part of the solution, instead of obstructing progress, will be their willingness to pass transportation and FAA bills that improve the nation’s employment outlook.