Photo from www.whitehouse.gov
In his first radio and Internet weekly address, President Barack Obama today called for bold and swift action to shore-up our shaky economy. The president is pushing for the passage of his American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan by Congress, which he said will “jumpstart” the economy.
“It’s a plan that will save or create three to four million jobs over the next few years, and one that recognizes both the paradox and the promise of this moment – the fact that there are millions of Americans trying to find work even as, all around the country, there’s so much work to be done. That’s why this is not just a short-term program to boost employment. It’s one that will invest in our most important priorities like energy and education; health care and a new infrastructure that are necessary to keep us strong and competitive in the 21st Century,” Obama said. (The full text is on The White House Blog) The president admitted “some are skeptical about the size and scale of this recovery plan.”
The Obama stimulus package is said to be carrying a price tag somewhere in the range of $825 billion. Some Republican lawmakers have criticized the high cost of the plan. To his critics, President Obama said: “I understand that skepticism, which is why this recovery plan must and will include unprecedented measures that will allow the American people to hold my Administration accountable for these results… (after passage)… We’ll launch an unprecedented effort to root out waste, inefficiency, and unnecessary spending in our government, and every American will be able to see how and where we spend taxpayer dollars by going to a new website called recovery.gov.”
President Obama is urging Congress to work quickly and pass the recovery plan so he can sign it into law by February 16 — the Presidents Day Holiday.
