Obama to address Congress on Sept 7, outlines priorities today

Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – The White House was on an overdrive on Wednesday requesting a joint session of Congress at 8 p.m. on September 7 (next Wednesday) for a joint address by President Barack Obama who after addressing a select audience at the Rose Garden, issued a Presidential Memorandum to identify high impact, job-creating infrastructure projects.”

President Obama in the letter from the White House to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada), said, “It is my intention to lay out a series of bipartisan proposals that the Congress can take immediately to continue to rebuild the American economy by strengthening small businesses, helping Americans get back to work, and putting more money in the paychecks of the middle class and working Americans, while still reducing our deficit and getting our fiscal house in order.”

The request for a joint session was confirmed by the offices of the leaders of both the houses but they did not issue any response immediately and the political pundits noted that the September 7 night is the same as a scheduled debate in California among the 2012 Republican presidential candidates.

Addressing journalists in Brady briefing room, Jay Carney, the White House press secretary called it, “coincidental,” adding, “There are a lot of factors that go into scheduling a joint session of Congress for a speech … You can never find a perfect time.”

On the opportunities to watch both the events, Carney said, “There are many channels to watch the president and to watch the debate.”

Earlier the President addressed a select audience in the Rose Garden calling on Congress to move forward in a bipartisan way to pass “a clean extension” of the Surface Transportation Bill (STB), which expires at the end of September, and “a clean extension” of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization, which expires in mid-September.

Flanked by Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, AFL-CIO President and member of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness Richard Trumka, U.S. Chamber of Commerce COO David Chavern, and some of the workers who would be affected if Congress fails to act, President Obama said, “This bill (STB) provides funding for highway construction, bridge repair, mass transit systems and other essential projects that keep our people and our commerce moving quickly and safely.”

Obama cautioned, “If we allow the transportation bill to expire, over 4,000 workers will be immediately furloughed without pay. If it’s delayed for just 10 days, it will lose nearly $1 billion in highway funding — that’s money we can never get back. And if it’s delayed even longer, almost one million workers could lose their jobs over the course of the next year.”

Lambasting Congress track record with a latest refusal by the lawmakers to act for a while on FAA bill that finally got a nod until September 16, President Obama said, “When they come back next month, not only do they need to pass the transportation bill but they’ve also got to pass a clean extension of that FAA bill — for longer this time — and address back pay for the workers who were laid off during the last shutdown.”

Noting that, “This transportation bill has been renewed seven times in the last two years alone,” President Obama stressed that his “Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood — a Republican,” was present here while he called on, “Congress, as soon as they come back, to pass a clean extension of the surface transportation bill, along with a clean extension of the FAA bill, to give workers and communities across America the confidence that vital construction projects won’t come to a halt.”

Later the White House in a communique announced that President Obama issued, “a Presidential Memorandum directing departments and agencies to identify high impact, job-creating infrastructure projects that can be expedited through outstanding review and permitting processes.”

“Creating jobs is my highest priority as President, and investing in our nation’s infrastructure can help create those jobs and grow our economy,” the communique quoted President Obama as saying.

President Obama added: “That’s why I’m asking agencies across the federal government to identify infrastructure projects that will put folks back to work and help make our country stronger, and take immediate steps to push these projects across the finish line.”

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