Congress has no reason to wait on jobs bill: Obama

CHICAGO: Pitching for his USD 447 billion jobs stimulus plan in the critical electoral state of Ohio, US President Barack Obama asked the Congress to pass the bill without delay, asserting that it would save thousands of American jobs.

At a campaign stop in the state, Obama said the Congress has no to wait on his jobs bill.

"There are millions of unemployed construction workers looking for work... So my question to Congress is, what on Earth are we waiting for?" Obama told the crowd gathered outside a school in Columbus yesterday.

The crowd chanted in reply "Pass this bill! Pass this bill!", according to the Chicago Tribune.

The stop at the Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School on the edge of Columbus' inner city came a day after he sent his USD 447 bill to Congress.

Obama's administration plans to pay for the jobs stimulus by levying greater taxes on rich individuals and withdrawing tax breaks to oil and gas corporations, a proposal that has drawn sharp reactions from the Republicans who have long been against the raising of taxes.

The tour was aimed at spending USD 25 billion on the school's modernisation and infrastructure.

Obama said the district will benefit from money that is intended to prevent the layoff of teachers at the high school.

"You've got the foundation of what is needed to learn, graduate and compete in the 21st Century," the president said. "You at Fort Hayes have been making it happen. But I don't want any student studying in a broken down school," he added.

Obama said if the bill passes the jobs of up to 14,000 teachers, police and firefighters in Ohio will be saved, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

"South Korea is adding teachers at the same time we're laying off our teachers," he said. "It's unfair to our kids and it undermines our future."

For Obama, some progress on the economy has become a political imperative to bolster his falling approval ratings, if he wants to win the 2012 presidential election.

"It's not about giving me a win. It's not about giving Democrats a win or Republicans a win. It's about giving the American people a win. The next election is 14 months away. The American people don't have the luxury of waiting that long. People are living paycheck to paycheck. They need it now," he said.

If approved, Obama's job plan includes payroll tax cuts for employers and workers, tax credits for companies that hire additional workers, veterans or the long-term unemployed, USD 30 billion to modernise roughly 35,000 public schools and some community colleges and USD 50 billion to rebuild transportation infrastructure.