Obama sending jobs bill to Congress

After a brief hiatus to mark the 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, President Obama will resume his campaign-style effort to advance his economic plan with a Rose Garden event this morning to announce he is sending the $447-billion bill Congress’ way.

In his speech to a joint session of Congress on Thursday, Obama repeatedly urged lawmakers to pass his economic plan “right now.” But lawmakers had few formal work hours during the week, their first back in Washington after the August recess.

A White House official said Obama will be joined at the White House by people from across the country who would benefit from his proposals, from teachers and small business owners to veterans and first responders.

Obama’s proposal is a mix of tax cuts to spur hiring and juice consumer spending; school and road construction projects to put people to work right away; and unemployment insurance benefits.

On Friday, House Republican leaders wrote to Obama that they looked forward to receiving the full legislative package and promised to give it swift consideration, even as they signaled they were likely to recommend changes and alternative proposals.

Specifically the GOP said it would be best to offer an a la carte approach, rather then move an all-or-nothing single piece of legislation.

They’d also be seeking a full analysis of the plan and its cost from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. Obama has pledged the bill would be fully paid for, but his speech to Congress lacked a full accounting for how that would be achieved.

Obama began selling his offering to jolt a flagging economy on Friday during an event in Richmond, Va. He’ll again head outside the Beltway this week to push Congress to act, with events in Columbus, Ohio, and Raleigh, N.C., planned for Tuesday and Wednesday. All are notable stops given the likelihood those states will again be key electoral battlegrounds.

The Democratic National Committee is also supporting the White House’s efforts. It has launched an ad campaign in eight swing states urging viewers to read the president’s plan and “fight for it.”