Republicans Already Blasting Obama’s Jobs Speech

Congressional Republicans are already attacking President Obama’s jobs proposal, even though he won’t reveal it until his speech to a joint session of Congress Thursday evening.

Reports that President Obama will propose $300 billion in tax cuts and federal spending tomorrow night to create jobs for Americans drew Republican criticism today on the Senate floor.   Sen.  Jefferson Sessions, R-Ala.,  said that Republicans will oppose any new spending plan not offset by spending cuts.

“We’re going to add another $300 billion in spending, not paid for.  Borrowed, every penny of it,” Sessions said.  ”At some point this country gets to a position where you cannot continue to borrow without damaging the economy.”

Sessions criticized the public works projects such as school construction that President Obama may call for tomorrow night.

“I don’t think school buildings is the problem with our education right now. And when you don’t have any money, you’ve got to be careful about borrowing more to spend.”

Sessions said that another presidential speech is “no substitute” for a budget or for a detailed plan.  ”Is it too much to ask for a real plan?” Sessions asked.

The White House has so far been mum on the details of President Obama’s speech.

On the other side of the aisle, Senate Majority Leader Reid pointed a finger at Republicans for “obstructionist tactics” that he says have cost time, jobs and economic growth this year.

“As Republicans held up the work of Congress for months in hopes of defeating the president — and this is not something I made up. My counterpart, the Republican leader, said that’s his number-one issue, making sure President Obama is not reelected,” said Reid, “But this effort to defeat President Obama has also held up our economic recovery.”

Reid said there are four things that Congress can do right away to create lots of jobs: extend the authorization of the FAA bill, authorize federal spending for the nation’s highways, payroll tax cuts, and an extension of unemployment benefits.