President Obama's latest round of job-bolstering proposals boasts something for everyone: corporate tax breaks for conservatives and spending on roads and railways for liberals. Yet he's having a hard time getting everyone on board.
The White House has found cheerleaders among top Democratics in Congress and unions who enthusiastically support the $50 billion U.S. in infrastructure spending.
Several Republicans and business groups, however, are not embracing the proposed $200 billion U.S. worth of corporate tax breaks, which Obama is expected to talk more about on Wednesday in Cleveland. The groups don't like how the breaks are paid for: with higher taxes on oil and gas companies.
Even the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which represents thousands of companies that could potentially cash in on the business tax breaks, won't support the package.
That's not to say the White House doesn't have any support. Several top Democrats, including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, say they like the package, especially the infrastructure spending part.
Union groups, while not keen on the corporate tax breaks, called the infrastructure spending critical.
"As the recovery slows, we desperately need decisive action for our leaders on both fiscal and monetary policy," said Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO on Tuesday. "It's time for leaders to show that they're economic patriots."
One thing is for sure: Congress is unlikely to pass any new job-creation bills before the November elections, congressional aides have said.
But the White House may need to come up with a new way to pay for the jobs package if it wants support from moderate Republicans. They'll need at least one Republican vote to break through the all-too-common filibusters in the Senate.
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