Biden takes jobs pitch to Capitol Hill
Vice President Joe Biden stumped for the administration’s jobs bills Wednesday on Capitol Hill as the White House tries to rally support in advance of congressional votes.
The Senate could vote at the end of the week on the first provision -- $35 billion to keep public school teachers and first responders on the job.
“Real people – real people – will get real relief right now,” Biden told a friendly crowd of public sector union workers at a stately meeting room in a Senate office building. “This is simple… It’s not rocket science.”
Biden headed to the Hill as President Obama finished up a three-day bus tour promoting the legislation.
Polls show widespread popular appeal for keeping public school teachers, firefighters and law enforcement personnel on the job with a financial assist to cash-strapped states and local governments. About 400,000 teachers and tens of thousands of first responders could see their jobs saved, Democrats said.
But the measure is expected to be blocked in the Senate by Republican-led opposition. Republicans deride the proposal as another big-government stimulus effort – reminding that the administration’s 2009 recovery act failed to keep unemployment as low as the White House had promised.
The legislation would be paid for with a 0.5% tax on households earning beyond $1 million annually.
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