[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 134 (Monday, September 12, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S5495]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL ENTITLED THE ``AMERICAN JOBS ACT''--PM 20

  The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message 
from the President of the United States, together with an accompanying 
report; which was referred to the Committee on Finance:

To the Congress of the United States:
  Today, I am pleased to submit to the Congress the enclosed 
legislative proposal, the ``American Jobs Act of 2011,'' together with 
a section-by-section analysis of the legislation.
  The American people understand that the economic crisis and the deep 
recession were not created overnight and will not be solved overnight. 
The economic security of the middle class has been under attack for 
decades. That is why I believe we need to do more than just recover 
from this economic crisis--we need to rebuild the economy the American 
way, based on balance, fairness, and the same set of rules for everyone 
from Wall Street to Main Street. We can work together to create the 
jobs of the future by helping small business entrepreneurs, by 
investing in education, and by making things the world buys.
  To create jobs, I am submitting the American Jobs Act of 2011--nearly 
all of which is made up of the kinds of proposals supported by both 
Republicans and Democrats, and that the Congress should pass right away 
to get the economy moving now. The purpose of the American Jobs Act of 
2011 is simple: put more people back to work and put more money in the 
pockets of working Americans. And it will do so without adding a dime 
to the deficit.
  First, the American Jobs Act of 2011 provides a tax cut for small 
businesses, to help them hire and expand now, and an additional tax cut 
to any business that hires or increases wages. In addition, the 
American Jobs Act of 2011 puts more money in the pockets of working and 
middle class Americans by cutting in half the payroll tax that comes 
out of the paycheck of every worker, saving typical families an average 
of $1,500 a year.
  Second, the American Jobs Act of 2011 puts more people back to work, 
including teachers laid off by State budget cuts, first responders and 
veterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, and construction 
workers repairing crumbling bridges, roads and more than 35,000 
schools, with projects chosen by need and impact, not earmarks and 
politics. It will repair and refurbish hundreds of thousands of 
foreclosed homes and businesses in communities across the country.
  Third, the American Jobs Act of 2011 helps out-of-work Americans by 
extending unemployment benefits to help them support their families 
while looking for work, and by reforming the system with training 
programs that build real skills, connect to real jobs, and help the 
long-term unemployed. It bans employers from discriminating against the 
unemployed when hiring, and provides a new tax credit to employers 
hiring workers who have been out of a job for over 6 months. And, it 
expands job opportunities for hundreds of thousands of low-income youth 
and adults through a new Pathways Back to Work Fund that supports 
summer and year round jobs for youth; innovative new job training 
programs to connect low-income workers to jobs quickly; and successful 
programs to encourage employers to bring on disadvantaged workers.
  Lastly, this legislation is fully paid for. The legislation includes 
specific offsets to close corporate tax loopholes and asks the 
wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share that more than cover the 
cost of the jobs measures. The legislation also increases the deficit 
reduction target for the Joint Committee by the amount of the cost of 
the jobs package and specifies that, if the Committee reaches that 
higher target, then their measures would replace and turn off the 
specific offsets in this legislation.
  I urge the prompt and favorable consideration of this proposal.
                                                        Barack Obama.  
The White House, September 12, 2011.

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