国际英语新闻:Obama Sends Jobs Bill to Congress, Urges Passage

President Obama is urging the U.S. Congress to act quickly on a $447-billion bill he is sending to Capitol Hill aimed at giving the U.S. economy a jolt by creating jobs. Obama used a Rose Garden event to urge opposition Republicans to support the legislation, saying unemployed Americans cannot afford delay.

Holding a copy of The American Jobs Act, Obama and Vice President Joe Biden appeared in the Rose Garden with about two dozen workers from various professions he cited as examples of people who the legislation will help.

Echoing his speech last week to Congress the president said the bill - which combines tax cuts, infrastructure spending and job training proposals - would help small businesses, employ construction workers, and generally strengthen the economy.

"No games, no politics, no delays. I am sending this bill to Congress today and they ought to pass it immediately," said the president.

With national unemployment stuck above nine percent, Obama's 2012 re-election hopes are pinned to a great degree on winning congressional approval.

The top Republican in Congress, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, said Congress should carefully examine the plan and alternative measures.

Republicans and the president, he said, should be able to work together to put in place the best ideas of both parties.

Obama said again that his job proposals are those that Republicans and Democrats have supported in the past, and that the plan can be fully paid for.

Referring again indirectly to Republicans, who he said would rather resolve differences through elections, Obama said Americans who are out of work do not have the luxury of waiting for the next election.

"The notion that there are folks who would say we are not going to try to do what is right for the American people because we do not think it is convenient for our politics, we have [been] seeing that too much around here. And that is exactly what folks are tired of," he said.

The White House is not offering its own predictions about how many jobs will be created. Officials were encouraged by one estimate, by the chief economist at Moody's, who projected the bill could create 1.9 million jobs and add two-percentage points to GDP next year.