Obama wants Congress to act on jobs plan this month

Ramping up pressure on Congress, President Obama said Monday that he wants the House and Senate to vote on his jobs package by month’s end.

Obama spoke to reporters at the top of a Cabinet meeting and sought to inject some urgency into congressional deliberations.

“It’s been several weeks now since I sent up the American Jobs Act,” Obama told reporters. “And as I’ve been saying on the road, I want it back. I’m ready to sign it. And so my expectation is that now that we’re in the month of October, that we will schedule a vote before the end of this month.

“I’ll be talking to Senator Reid, McConnell, as well as Speaker Boehner and Nancy Pelosi, and insisting that we have a vote on this bill.”

Since releasing his $447-billion jobs plan on Sept. 8, Obama has mounted a full-scale effort to pass it into law. He has touted the package in visits to states represented by Republican leaders in hopes of creating grassroots pressure that the GOP cannot ignore.

Republicans, not wanting to seem obstructionist when it comes to reviving the sluggish economy, have signaled a willingness to strike a compromise.

“Putting Americans back to work is our number one priority, and we’re reviewing the president’s proposal and hope he will work with us to find common ground to support job creation,” said Brendan Buck, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). “His proposed tax increases on job creators and capital investment, however, face bipartisan opposition in the House and the Democrat-run Senate.”

At this point, the bill’s prospects are uncertain.

“Until at least seven [Senate] Republicans decide to join Democrats in addressing the number one issue facing America, we are subject to a filibuster,” said Max Gleischman, a spokesman for Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).

In the Senate, 60 votes are required to stave off a filibuster blocking passage of the bill.

“This will take bipartisan action and until we have bipartisan support, we don’t have 60 votes. It’s just math,” Gleischman added.

Yet the Democratic Party doesn’t seem united in its support of the bill, adding a layer of complication to Obama’s efforts to curb an unemployment rate that threatens to derail his reelection bid.

Sen. Robert Casey (D-Pa.), for example, has questioned the president’s basic strategy, warning that sweeping legislation may not be palatable to lawmakers of either party.