Obama Sends American Jobs Act To Congress

Download the bill here...and call, e-mail, fax, or send a message by skywriting to Congress, President says...
In the Rose Garden on Monday morning, President Obama formally unveiled the $447 billion American Jobs Act. He was joined by Vice President Joe Biden and surrounded by police officers, firefighters, teachers, veterans, construction workers, and small business owners, all of whom will be impacted by the measure. He urged Americans to lobby Congress for immediate passage of the measure. (Above: The President holds up the bill during his remarks)

"I want you to pick up the phone. I want you to send an email. Use one of those airplane skywriters," President Obama said, to laughter. "Dust off the fax machine. Or you can just, like, write a letter. So long as you get the message to Congress: Send me the American Jobs Act so I can sign it into law. Let’s get something done. Let’s put this country back to work."

Download the President's message to Congress, a sectional analysis and the full text of the American Jobs Act of 2011 [PDF].

The bill is fully paid for, President Obama said. "It’s not going to add a dime to the deficit."

"This bill cuts taxes for small businesses that hire new employees and for small businesses that raise salaries for current employees. It cuts your payroll tax in half. And all businesses can write off investments they make this year and next year," President Obama said. "It’s got a $4,000 tax credit for companies that hire anybody who spent more than six months looking for a job."

The bill will preserve the jobs of those he was surrounded by in the Rose Garden, President Obama said, as well as create summer employment opportunities for impoverished youth, and rebuild critical infrastructure across the US, including schools.

"This is the bill that Congress needs to pass. No games. No politics. No delays," President Obama said. "I’m sending this bill to Congress today, and they ought to pass it immediately."

The President's remarks in the Rose Garden:



During an afternoon Q & A on the White House campus, President Obama answered questions about the AJA:

*Photo by Chuck Kennedy/White House