GOP wants jobs summit before Obama speech to Congress

Even before President Obama unveils his jobs package this week, GOP congressional leaders returned to Washington on Tuesday criticizing most of the proposals as nonstarters, showing the difficult road the White House faces in getting any legislation through the divided Congress this fall.

House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the majority leader, called on Obama to convene a bipartisan meeting of congressional leaders to discuss job creation strategies before his address to a joint session of Congress on Thursday.

And Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Republicans were not opposing the White House for partisan gain, but because they disagreed with Obama’s approach to fixing the economy.

“With all due respect, Mr. President, there’s a much simpler reason for opposing your economic proposals that has nothing to do with politics: They don’t work,” McConnell said on the Senate floor.

Obama is expected to present a package of tax breaks and infrastructure investment to jump-start the sluggish economy and put Americans back to work.

Republicans prefer an approach that focuses on getting rid of government regulations to spur economic growth, along with business tax breaks.

Both sides see partisan advantage in adhering to their principles on economic issues heading toward next year’s election. And even Obama’s traditional allies sought a meeting with him before the speech to press their priorities, which progressives fear are getting lost as the president seeks compromise.

“Big, bold action is required to put people back to work and promote economic growth,” wrote the leaders of the House’s Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Asian and Pacific American Caucus, in a joint letter to Obama on Tuesday. “Americans know we cannot cut our way to prosperity.”

Boehner and Cantor wrote to Obama on Tuesday that it was “critical that our differences not preclude us from taking action in areas where there is common agreement. We should not approach this as an all-or-nothing situation.”

The House GOP leaders pointed to areas of possible agreement, including the free-trade agreements with South Korea and other countries the White House wants to enact. They also suggested an approach to highway investments that has GOP support -- by lifting restrictions on how states use funds.

But differences remain in the details of those policies. And many of the president’s other likely proposals, including payroll tax breaks for workers or tax credits for companies that make new hires, have been panned by Republicans.

The GOP has also given a chilly response to a new round of extended unemployment benefits for jobless Americans -- unless the aid is paid for with budget cuts elsewhere.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the president continues to search for areas of common ground with congressional leaders, even as Democrats grumble that the administration has not sought their input for the upcoming speech.

“I’m sure the president will be consulting with leaders of Congress going forward as he moves forward,” Carney said. “You will see that it is a significant proposal, but it contains ideas that have historically garnered bipartisan support by the very members who will sit in the hall on Thursday night.”