Washington, September 10: President Barack Obama sought to put pressure on Republicans on Friday as he began what will be a months-long attempt to sell his new $447 billion (£280 billion) economic plan across America.
Mr Obama travelled to the key 2012 swing state of Virginia at the start of a tour to promote his American Jobs Act, which he announced to mixed reaction before a rare joint session of Congress on Thursday. In front of a raucous 8,000-strong crowd at Richmond University, Mr Obama referred to his “good Republican friends” and dared them not to support his plans to cut in half payroll taxes for workers next year.
He said: “You guys have made pledges never to raise taxes on anybody, ever again. You can’t make an exception when the tax breaks are going to middle-class people.” The president also called on his supporters to email, call, tweet and even send a “carrier pigeon” to their politicians urging support for his plan.
He renewed his call on Republicans to permit tax increases for the richest Americans and to close tax loopholes for oil firms and other corporations, setting up a new battle in Congress. Mr Obama faces an uphill battle to win Republican support for his plan, a mix of payroll tax cuts and spending to upgrade roads, bridges and schools, which the White House says will reduce the 9.1 per cent unemployment rate.
However, there were initial signs that Republican congressional leaders were ready to work with him. John Boehner, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, said Mr Obama’s ideas “merit consideration”. Eric Cantor, the second ranking Republican in the House said: “I heard plenty in the president’s speech last night where there is a lot of room for commonality and we can get something done quickly.” Early estimates suggested the plan could lift US growth by 1 to 3 percentage points next year.
–Agencies–