Obama calls for more job creation
March 18, 2010
US President Barack Obama Thursday called on lawmakers to break out of Washington's "partisan morass" and help create more jobs, as he signed a 17.6 billion dollar employment bill into law.
Taking aim at a 9.7 percent jobless rate, Obama called on Republicans, who are seeking to block his reform agenda, to join Democrats for the greater good of Americans struggling to overcome the worst economic crisis in decades.
The legislation includes tax breaks for businesses that hire new workers as well as for infrastructure investments, both for items like highway construction and to help states build schools and pursue other projects.
But the legislation that emerged from the poisoned political atmosphere in Congress is much smaller than some advocates had hoped, and Obama is pushing for more packages to spur job creation in the private sector.
"I want to commend all the members of Congress and their leadership (which) made this bill possible," Obama said, in remarks released by the White House ahead of the signing ceremony in the White House Rose Garden.
"I'm also gratified that over a dozen Republicans agreed that the need for this jobs bill was urgent, and that they were willing to break out of the partisan morass in Washington to help us take this forward step for the American people.
"I hope this is a prelude to further cooperation in the days and months to come, as we continue to work on digging our way out of the recession and rebuilding our economy in a way that works for all Americans and not just some Americans."
Obama said that the bill would not be sufficient to solve the jobs crisis in the United States, but would nevertheless have an impact.
However, he added there was a lot more needed to spur hiring in the private sector and to bring about a full recovery, including unlocking credit to small businesses and putting Americans to work improving US infrastructure.
AFP
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