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 Isn't The President Part Of That Blame Game? - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 12/9/09 — Monday, December 14, 2009 —  Q Did the President in the meeting with Congress tell the Republicans and Minority Leader Boehner that they almost seem to be rooting against recovery?MR. GIBBS: Well, I think the President did mention, and I think Republicans agreed, that the room was not without politics, and that politics obviously has -- I think politics has clearly played a role in many of their statements and votes on the Recovery Act. I don't think that's any big secret. Q He thinks Republicans basically want the jobless rate to stay above 10 percent -- MR. GIBBS: Well, I think the President would like Democrats and Republicans alike to prove to the American people that we can set aside whatever narrow political agendas anybody has in order to address the severity of the economic downturn and the joblessness that's resulted from it. And I can think of nothing better than taking the President up on, again, two of the ideas that have normally enjoyed very bipartisan support: increasing our investment in infrastructure, which will create jobs; and help to hundreds of thousands of small businesses across the country in terms of getting access to credit; tax incentives for hiring. Look, again, the most important thing is those things in a nonpartisan environment would get the support of Republicans and Democrats alike. I don't think that should be any different with this President, nor would it or should it be with any other President. I think we have a challenge that the American people have laid before us, and that is to solve the problems that they have without getting involved in that blame game. And I think -- Q Isn't the President part of that blame game, too? I mean, he took the partisan swipe yesterday in that speech. I mean, even here you talked about their failed stewardship on the deficit. I mean, this administration doesn't miss an opportunity to blame the past administration. MR. GIBBS: Well, look -- well, Savannah, I appreciate the ability to forget what happened every -- to forget every -- Q But my point -- MR. GIBBS: No, no, but understand we've -- I appreciate the ability to forget anything that happened before we got here. The President didn't -- the President inherited an economic downturn, he inherited a massive budget deficit. He understands one thing: The American people put him here to solve the problems that were created however and by whoever they were created. That's what the President is going to do. He's going to make decisions that won't be altogether wildly popular with the American people. But I think he believes that the American people will understand that we're making those tough decisions to pull ourselves back from falling into another Great Depression. It is hard to argue, Savannah, it is hard to argue that the steps taken in the Recovery Act didn't directly lead to the first economic growth in a year. Don't believe me; ask John McCain's economist who said we created jobs, that we put ourselves on a path towards economic growth. That's not me. That's -- that was our rival's chief economist in the campaign. I think what the President believes is we have a unique opportunity -- setting aside all of that -- to move forward on behalf of the American people; to do it in a way that truly addresses their problems without falling into the convenient political back-and-forth and games that have always governed Washington. We can show the American people this -- at this time and this year that it's possible to do that. Q You said the President does recognize that he's got the job now, so now it falls to him to fix it. Is there any statute of limitations, though, on how often he may mention what he inherited or the mess he inherited or how the past administration failed? MR. GIBBS: Again, it would be easy to put it all in a box and just forget about it, but we didn't get here overnight. We're not going to get out of our problems overnight. It's not part of the blame game. It's just -- it's a fact of life. Bush Administration | Economy | President Obama | Press Briefing | Republicans | Robert Gibbs | Unemployment | White House Press Corps Labels: Bush Administration, Economy, President Obama, Press Briefing, Republicans, Robert Gibbs, Unemployment, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 10:05:00 PM  The Stimulus Is Working: We're Definitely Headed Toward 10% - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 7/2/09 — Friday, July 03, 2009 —  Q President Obama announced on June 8 that the administration was accelerating stimulus spending to save or create 600,000 jobs. The U.S. economy lost 467,000 jobs last month, and the unemployment rate went up to 9.5 percent. I just wondered what's the President's reaction to the higher unemployment rate, and are you concerned that the economy is losing steam faster than the Recovery Act can help it?MR. GIBBS: Well, let me take that question and address it on a couple of different levels. I think you saw the President already say today, and he'll say it again later today, that obviously he's deeply disappointed by the continued job loss in our economy. Continuing to lose jobs is something that he and the administration are working to address. Understand that it has been 549 days since we have been in a month that has seen a net positive job creation. I think -- though the President remains deeply concerned that we are losing jobs month to month, I do think if you look at some -- if you step back and look at the numbers through a quarterly basis, or as the Bureau of Labor Statistics did today, they looked at -- from November of 2008 through I believe March of 2009 -- the average job loss for those months approached 700,000. In the most previous quarter, that job loss averaged 436,000. So I think there is a sense that the beginnings of stabilization are taking hold and hopefully the worst job loss is behind us. You all heard me say the second time I walked into this room that it was likely to get worse before it was going to get better. I don't think anybody believed, and we certainly never said, that a recovery plan in and of itself would solve our economic problems or that after only a hundred-some days it would turn an economy, as I said, that's been in the worst financial shape that we've seen it in since the Great Depression. I do think there's obviously evidence that the recovery plan is working. Last month personal incomes were up as a result of the recovery plan. But I think you'll hear the President say later today that he sees this economy through the eyes of the American people, and obviously the American people are continuing to hurt. Q Does the government think it's doing everything it can do at this point to -- MR. GIBBS: Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, there's -- again, there's money in the recovery plan to deal with -- health and education money to states to plug those holes. But understand that the recovery is just one aspect of it, as we've talked about. There is financial stabilization. There's housing that you have to be -- there's a whole host of issues that the President and the administration are focused on in order to turn the economy around. Q So, again, just to follow up on that, is the message to the American people that the recovery, the stimulus, are working, just be patient? MR. GIBBS: Well, our message is we didn't get into this problem overnight, as the American people understand, and it's not likely we're going to get out of this economic problem overnight. We've said that repeatedly. I said this weekend last we think unemployment will continue to grow. We do see some less negative trends in the way unemployment is going, understanding we've still got quite some ways to go. Q At what point would that be? I mean, when is it no longer overnight? MR. GIBBS: When is what no longer overnight? Q You said we didn't get into this problem overnight; we're not going to get out of it overnight. MR. GIBBS: Right. Again -- Q So how long can you still say "overnight"? What's the time that we're talking here? MR. GIBBS: I think this is going to take some time. I think it's going to take months and months. I think we've said that from the very beginning. This is not, again, something that -- remember, the last month in which we created -- we net created jobs in this economy was December 2007. So we understand that in his -- we are in the deepest recession since World War II, and the worst financial crisis, when you take into account the markets and housing, since the Great Depression. That's going to take some time. But I think there certainly is credible evidence -- there's 1,900 construction projects that are in progress. There are -- there's $160 billion in recovery money that's been obligated to this point. And that's going to make a difference. [...] Yes, ma'am. Q Robert, just to follow on what Dan was saying earlier. Yesterday the President, at the health care forum, said the stimulus has done its job. Are we to take that as an indication that the President thinks the stimulus is working? MR. GIBBS: The stimulus is working. The stimulus plan is injecting money into the economy. The stimulus plan has obligated $160 billion to deal with the dip in the amount of growth. The stimulus plan is creating 1,900 road and construction projects. I think you'll hear the President say today, as he's said each and every day of his administration, that we've got a long way to go, that he's not going to be satisfied until we see positive job growth, positive economic growth, and that's going to take some time. Q Well, is it working fast enough? MR. GIBBS: Well, again, this was a program over the course of -- spend out I think 75 to 80 percent of the money over the course of two fiscal years, to do so in a way that's transparent, to do so in a way that's accountable -- which is what has happened in this piece of legislation. And it's just going to take some time. We understand that. Again, the President sees this through the eyes of the American people. The American people are hurting. More and more people are losing their jobs, they're losing their health care, they're losing their hope and their opportunity. And that's what the President is focused on each and every day. Q But the message seems to be, well, just wait, it's coming, it's coming. MR. GIBBS: Well, Yunji, again, let's look at in the second quarter of 2008 -- we just finished the second quarter of 2009 -- in the three-month average, we were losing 153,000 jobs a month. This past quarter it's 436,000 -- because that trend line shows that in the third quarter we went from averaging 153,000 a month in that quarter to 208,000; in the fourth quarter of 2008, we had gone to 553,000 jobs a month. In the first quarter of 2009, we were almost at 700,000 jobs lost a month, including a January number, 741,000 jobs lost, which is the greatest one-month total in the history of our country. That is not something that's going to turn around overnight. The American people understand that. The President understands that. That's why we've taken important steps to get the economy moving again. Is it going to take some time? Absolutely. Is the President impatient for results? You heard him say that last week when you all had a chance to ask him questions about our economy. [...] Peter. Q Robert, you said that hopefully the worst job losses are behind us. Do you still believe that unemployment is going to hit 10 percent sometime this year? MR. GIBBS: Absolutely. We went from 9.4 to 9.5. It may not be next month, but I would assume in the next two to three months I think it's quite clear that we'll hit that number. Again -- and as we talked about earlier, you've got to create about 150,000 jobs a month simply to have the rate stay at the level that it was the previous month. So, yes, I think we're headed -- we're definitely headed toward 10 percent. Q So it'll be a while before the country crosses the threshold of having these job losses end at these levels. MR. GIBBS: I'm sorry? Q It'll be a while, then, yet -- past that before the country passes its threshold where you have these job losses at these levels that we're seeing. MR. GIBBS: Yes, look, I think we're going to continue to -- as we talked about yesterday, employment and unemployment are -- tend to be one of the last things that improve in an economic downturn -- again, understanding the recession we're in is statistically the worst since World War II. Adding in the financial situation, obviously this is the worst economic crisis that our country has dealt with since the Depression. Ensuring that financial stabilization happens, ensuring that small businesses are free to borrow, consumer confidence goes up, people begin to spend money -- a lot of those things are going to have to happen until businesses feel confident enough that we are out of the woods to begin to hire more people. I think that's what you're going to see happen -- businesses having to make those decisions over the course of many months or year. Economy | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | Stimulus Package | Unemployment | White House Press Corps Labels: Economy, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, Stimulus Package, Unemployment, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 11:04:00 PM Jobs Created or Saved Through Smoke & Mirrors - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 6/8/09 — Monday, June 08, 2009 —  Q Just a few follow-ups. The 150,000 job figure, should we be identifying that as a projection, since it seems like Jared himself -- there is no hard evidence yet of this number, correct?MR. GIBBS: Well, I think, again, I would point you back to his answer about the reports and the economic formulation -- Q But he said it was based on multipliers and an economic formula and that we don't have the facts yet of how many hard jobs. MR. GIBBS: Well, again, Chuck, I think -- and I hate to paraphrase what Jared said, but again, if I move you money because you have a window business, just like the example I was using, or some economic stimulus, you are going to -- you're going to buy supplies from somebody else who is going to create -- Q But you don't know if that's going to create one job or two jobs -- MR. GIBBS: No, but -- Q You don't know that it's going to -- so it's a projection. MR. GIBBS: Based on a tried and true, as he said, economic formula on how to do that. Projections are -- Q Jobs trickling down the window pane -- I mean, why is that not trickle-down economics when you guys are talking about tax cuts and how -- MR. GIBBS: Are you suggesting that the multiplier effect of job creation is part of trickle-down economics? Q I'm suggesting that you guys are saying -- Q Sure, they're jobs -- MR. GIBBS: Point out for me how, if somebody builds a windmill -- right -- and needs -- Q You guys are saying that unmeasured jobs -- and they're out there -- and you're saying it's a result of tax cuts. MR. GIBBS: No -- in the example of window panes, absolutely. But what I'm talking about -- you don't make window panes out of papier-mâché, right? You're going to have to buy aluminum; you're going to have to buy glass. Does the production of aluminum and glass for the purchase of making windows in order to increase the production so that the tax credit can be fully taken advantage of -- are window producers doing that? Yes. Is the sale of aluminum for windows and glass creating jobs? Ask some of the readers of Bloomberg when they make investments in resources -- Q But you're not going to provide numbers on total jobs that have been created or saved through this window pane example. MR. GIBBS: Well, again, there's multipliers and there are formulas, as Jared talked about, in order to make determinations as to what that number is. Q Well, it did sound like you are going to provide a hard number on direct government contracts. Every quarter we will get a hard number. MR. GIBBS: Well, I think that's what Jared talked about as part of the obligation of those reports. Q So far we have none, because there hasn’t been any -- MR. GIBBS: Right. But again, just to build off your examples, Hans, you can't build a window out of nothing. You can't build a wind turbine out of nothing. The purchase of resources to build a wind turbine so that a wind company can take advantage of a tax credit is a multiplier effect that creates jobs based on the purchase of resources to construct that turbine -- right? Q Will you concede that the wind is free? (Laughter.) MR. GIBBS: I will concede that the wind is free. And some of it is blowing hot in my direction. Q Ooh! (Laughter.) Q There are a lot of numbers being thrown around here, and you guys are claiming credit for -- earlier you were claiming credit for summer jobs that won't be there in three years -- MR. GIBBS: No, no, no -- Q -- and that will be -- MR. GIBBS: Hans, I appreciate you asking -- you should ask as many questions as you want, but if Jared gives you an answer about how two part-time jobs equals one full-time employment job, don't act like the question didn’t get answered, because -- Q I'm not. MR. GIBBS: -- and he's not trying to say that -- he didn’t tell you that 125,000 was immediately being factored in. He gave you the formula for part-time and full-time jobs. Q I'm not saying -- I'm just -- I guess what you -- would you then concede that that job won't be there in three years when the stimulus -- MR. GIBBS: Will I concede that a summer job won't be there in the fall? Yes, I will concede that. Q You guys are counting this towards the 3.5. MR. GIBBS: I think Jared answered your question. Send a transcript to -- Economy | Jobs |Obama Administration | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | Stimulus Package | Unemployment | White House Press Corps Labels: Economy, Jobs, Obama Administration, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, Stimulus Package, Unemployment, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 7:53:00 PM Are You Better Off Now Than You Were Four Months Ago? - Air Force One Press Gaggle by Robert Gibbs 3/6/09 — Friday, March 06, 2009 —  Q Can I ask you about the trip today, and then a question about the FDIC? In terms of the trip today, you're going to highlight 25 jobs saved -- and we've lost 651,000, I believe, last month. So, I mean, do you think this makes even a dent in the psyche of the American people? MR. GIBBS: Well, I mean, you know, let's -- I think if -- I think on that scale, you'd never even undertake -- you'd never even undertake any action to seek cuts in wasteful spending unless you saved trillions of dollars with the stroke of one pen. I mean, I think it's a -- you know, I'm sure it's one viewpoint. I think it's a bit cynical to think that the only jobs created or saved today will be the 25 or 27 that the President is going to see in Columbus. I think it demonstrates for the American people that the President has a plan to get the economy moving again, that we're seeing results from that plan, and that the American people -- because they understand this -- know it's going to take us a while to get out of this hole, but that there are brighter days ahead. I'm always amazed -- you know, a week ago we were talking down the economy. This week we're not talking the economy up to the heights of which we -- you know, I mean, there's -- it's a moving set of hurdles. Air Force One | Economy | Obama Administration | Press Gaggle | Robert Gibbs | Unemployment | White House Press Corps Labels: Air Force One, Economy, Obama Administration, Press Gaggle, Robert Gibbs, Unemployment, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 10:52:00 PM Of Course We Have A Plan; We Just Don't Know What It Is - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 3/3/09 — Wednesday, March 04, 2009 —  Q February 10th, Secretary Geithner came out with his plan to deal with the banks, and there was obviously some negative reaction to that. And at the time we were told, well, this was a broad outline; details are going to be filled in. It's three weeks later, and a lot of analysts on Wall Street continue to say, we don't know where the bottom is because we don't know how many toxic assets are out there. So when are you coming out with more details?MR. GIBBS: Well, but let's complicate the question a little bit. Let's -- because I think you may have seemingly vastly oversimplified that the market on 20-some days ago acted on one piece of information and has followed Jake's trend for the better part of those three weeks in order to get us to where we are yesterday. Q There was a lot of negative reaction to the plan. We could agree on that. MR. GIBBS: We could, and we could also agree on that -- in watching your network I've seen any number of reports about the earnings of different companies. I've seen bank problems in Europe. I've seen bank problems in Eastern Europe. We've seen regulatory failings both here and overseas. I think the larger message of what the President was trying to convey today is that it's also overly simplistic to look at any one piece of information or one group of information that's driving the market in any particular direction. I'd -- Q Okay, so people could agree -- MR. GIBBS: Hold on, let me finish. I think the broad scope of data and information that we're getting denotes the fact that the economy is suffering severe problems. I think that's probably what has driven, in the short term, the market to where it is. And I don't think that's necessarily surprising given the data that we see. I don't -- I think the market is looking at what Mr. Buffett said over the weekend. I think the market is probably looking at the notion that the growth rate in the 4th quarter was vastly different than what we presupposed because we ended December -- we now understand that goods were sitting in warehouses, but not leaving stores. So I think a lot of things are priced into the market. Q We can agree the President can't control all this economic data, especially around the world and other countries. But he does have some control over what his administration is going to do about failing U.S. banks, toxic assets that these banks have on their books. And this administration said at the beginning they were going to deal with that problem. So the question is, putting aside all the other data, what is the administration doing to deal with U.S. banks? MR. GIBBS: Well, I've been asked in recent days about Citi. I was asked yesterday about AIG. As you know, Treasury and others are beginning the process of trying to find out exactly the health of banks given different economic scenarios. The President and his team have developed and passed through Congress a comprehensive recovery plan that is beginning. Tax cuts will start showing up in people's pay checks in April. Again, if you want to take just your time line of three weeks or three and a half weeks, I don't think the American -- I think the American people understand we didn't get into this problem in the beginning of February. So we're not likely to get out of this problem by the end of March. We've got many steps to take, and the administration and the President particularly have taken those steps: a home foreclosure plan that for the very first time deals with people that have played by the rules, but if the economy changes and gets even worse, they may find their selves the next on their block with a home foreclosure sign. So let's take steps to reduce that and make sure that the crisis in home foreclosures doesn't spread. The budget obviously doesn't just look in the short term, but lays out a long-term plan for economic growth. And I would be happy for any number of reasons if this were a three to six week problem. But I think the American people understand that. Q Does it take longer the longer it is for you to come up with a plan, is really my question, because if you keep three weeks, three weeks, then -- MR. GIBBS: Well, I guess our -- we're passing in the night largely because despite my enumeration of the many things that we're doing, you at least have priced into the market with the acceptance of -- Q But you came back to housing and other things, and I understand they're all part of the broader issue. MR. GIBBS: Right. They're all part of the broader issue because, again, as I've said many times from up here, there isn't just one thing that we have to do. There isn't just -- if just passing an $800 billion recovery plan would get the economy going again, I'm sure that would be received quite well here. We'd have more time, probably, on the weekend. But again, there's -- the economy faces many challenges, and the President and the administration are working day and night to address the many challenges that have gotten us to this point, and the many steps that we have to take over the course of the next many months to turn the economy around. And look, let me -- let me look ahead. We have unemployment numbers coming out on Friday. I don't anticipate that they're going to be good. I don't know anything, I'm just surmising. But I don't think that's -- I don't think that speaks to the implementation of the recovery plan. But I do believe and understand, and the President believes that we have taken and are continuing to take the steps that we need to get the economy back on track. Economy | Obama Administration | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | Treasury Secretary | Unemployment | White House Press Corps Labels: Economy, Obama Administration, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, Treasury Secretary, Unemployment, Wall Street, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 5:21:00 PM How Many Jobs Did Robin Hood Create - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 2/26/09 — Friday, February 27, 2009 —  Q On jobs, which is the big complaint up on Capitol Hill right now from Republicans, that this plan is a job killer, I mean, the $787 billion plan was all about jobs more than anything else, and now you've got a plan in place that -- how can you possibly tax people making over $250,000 something like $667 billion over the next 10 years and not have a downward effect on jobs? MR. GIBBS: Well, Chip, how did it work in 1994 and 1995 and 1996 and 1997? Q I guess their argument would be, imagine if they didn't have those -- those taxes, how much better it would have been? MR. GIBBS: Isn't it interesting that there's always some little slip? Again, you know -- again, I don't do this by happenstance. There isn't a member of Congress, if they were to file a single taxpayer form, that makes above $200,000 a year. Q Well, Congress. MR. GIBBS: Well –- Q There's a lot of millionaires up there. MR. GIBBS: Well, that's true. But it's on their income. I mean, I think it's interesting, as people listen to those complaining about some aspects of the budget, I think it's just interesting to note -- I think the President was pretty clear on Tuesday -- we're talking about people that earn in excess of a quarter of a million dollars a year. Q And a huge percentage of those people are small business owners. MR. GIBBS: Some of them are, sure. Some of them are big business owners. Some of them are home-run hitters in major league baseball. Some of them run kickoffs back for a living. Some of them are the President of the United States. Q But a lot of them create jobs. MR. GIBBS: Some of them -- certainly, some of them, that's what their job is. But I would reject this overall premise that when we're asking for tax fairness from the American people, that we're -- that this is going to kill jobs. I guess if I follow the logic of the Republicans on Capitol Hill, how do you explain last month's unemployment figures? Current tax rates, 550,000 jobs -- what happened? Q This is a unique moment. (Laughter.) MR. GIBBS: Apparently, it always is. The President believes that he's put forth a budget and a Reinvestment and Recovery Plan that will save and create 3.5 million jobs, get our economy back on track, make the necessary and needed investments for sustained long-term growth in things like health care, education and energy, and do so in a way that's most fair for the American people. And again, I go back to my first thing -- the President ran specifically on the promises that are contained in what he believes is a blueprint and a vision for our future. And that's what the American people -- that's the result they rendered in November. Economy | Obama Administration | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | Taxes | Unemployment | White House Press Corps Labels: Economy, Obama Administration, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, Taxes, Unemployment, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 3:31:00 PM Helen has a question - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 11/12/08 — Wednesday, November 12, 2008 —  Q I think Helen had a question. MS. PERINO: Helen has a question. Q Yes, I do. You say the President is not at fault for the auto industry problem. Do you think he's responsible for a solution? MS. PERINO: Well, I think that he -- Q And also, is there a quid pro quo on the Colombia trade agreement? MS. PERINO: There is absolutely no quid pro quo for that. And I was able to clarify that yesterday, and I was pleased that the President-elect's team clarified that as well. But I think that the President of the United States believes that companies are responsible for finding solutions. However, this is an industry, as I've said before, that's very important to the American people. And there are a lot of regulations that the government has tried to place on these companies over the years. And so Congress and the administration and the companies have an obligation to put their best minds towards trying to find out -- figure out what we can do to the greatest extent possible to try to keep these companies viable. And if we can do that, we certainly will. Q Is he aware that Michigan has 9 percent unemployment? MS. PERINO: Very well aware of it. And he's been very concerned about it. It's one of the reasons that he agreed to the UI extension from -- unemployment insurance extension that we provided in August. And we'll see what the Congress puts forward on that if they come back for a lame duck. Q Is he aware that Detroit won World War II by retooling in a matter of days to a wartime condition? MS. PERINO: He knows how important Detroit is, how -- its history, the industry, and how many people it supports, not just in Detroit, but all across our country, and the people all around the world who work for those corporations. He's very mindful of it. Automobile Industry | Dana Perino | Economy | Helen | President Bush | President-Elect Obama | Press Briefing | Unemployment | White House Press Corps Labels: Automobile Industry, Dana Perino, Economy, Helen, President Bush, President-Elect Obama, Press Briefing, Unemployment, White House Press Secretary >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 7:56:00 PM Unemployment Insurance - White House Press Briefing by Tony Fratto 9/30/08 — Tuesday, September 30, 2008 —  MR. FRATTO: Paula.Q You mentioned repeatedly of frozen assets, assets that have value. But what about human assets? Because there's a lot of argument out there that people around that kitchen table might not be able to wait three or four steps along the way. As you know, unemployment insurance is running out mid-October, about three weeks before the election. The White House said it opposes that. There's supposedly a bargaining chip out there by Democrats for the President to drop his veto threat on the second stimulus bill. Are you rethinking any of these positions? MR. FRATTO: Which -- let me try to break down your question in a few different ways. You talked about unemployment insurance. We extended unemployment insurance. Congress put that forward for a 13-week extension of unemployment insurance, from 26 weeks-six months, for an additional 13 weeks extension. Q It expires in October -- MR. FRATTO: The additional 13 weeks for those people who have been on unemployment insurance already for six months, for them it does expire. But it rolls, depending on when you get on the program, so that if you are on the program today, if you go on this week, you have the original 26 weeks, plus an additional 13 weeks. So that's where it stands today. Congress may have ideas on things that they want to try to do with respect to unemployment insurance. They may try to find legislative vehicles to deal with them. We'll have those conversations with Congress if there are other efforts that they want to do. But with respect to this particular problem, if you want to help those people at their kitchen table, if you want to help the ability of their employers to keep them employed, then you want to fix the problem that we're trying to fix this week. And there will be -- there is nothing we can do that is more important for the U.S. economy, short term and long term, than to fix this problem with this frozen asset class. It is the single best thing we can do for the economy. That's our primary focus, and that's what we're going to be working on. We'll obviously continue to talk about other issues also if Congress has interest in them. Q But you have to acknowledge that one of the key issues here is also to get something that will pass. And if the bargaining chip is to drop the veto threat on a second stimulus package, would you reconsider it? MR. FRATTO: I think we will leave our negotiations for our discussions with members of Congress and not try to have me negotiate from here. Congress | Press Briefing | Tony Fratto | Unemployment | White House Press Corps Labels: Congress, Press Briefing, Tony Fratto, Unemployment, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 7:24:00 PM
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