Obama Administration Eyes Super Committee As 'Avenue' To Move Jobs Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Still searching for mechanisms to pass pieces of the president's jobs bill, senior administration officials returned on Thursday to the most likely fallback option for legislative movement.

In a briefing with reporters, two top officials relayed that the administration would welcome having the congressional super committee write elements of the American Jobs Act into its deficit reduction proposal.

"I'm not going to get into the specifics of their proposal," said one senior administration official, "but that would be an avenue to do it. It's not the only avenue ... that would be a natural place"

"We have been pretty clear consistently -- publicly and privately -- that that would be an avenue to do it," the official added. "At the same time you are making significant strides in deficit reduction, if they were to come to an agreement, that would be a natural place to do some job producing measures."

Already stymied in its attempts to pass the bill in full, as well as in pieces, the administration has few if any avenues remaining. Putting portions of the plan into the super committee's recommendations would increase the chances that they would pass. Any proposal, should it get through the 12-member bipartisan committee, would be granted the equivalent of parliamentary immunity; lawmakers would be prohibited from amending or filibustering the measure, which would come to a vote at the end of December.

At the same time, however, the mere act of attaching Obama's legislative priorities to the super committee's proposal increases the likelihood that Republicans will oppose it. An already difficult to pass deficit-reduction plan will become that much more implausible.

On Wednesday, Democrats on the committee, led by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) put out a "presentation" for the super committee to consider that achieved between $2.5 billion and $3 billion in deficit reduction. Tucked into the measure was $300 billion in new economic stimulus. Aides on Capitol Hill have been fairly mum about what makes up that $300 billion, but a source familiar with deliberations said that lawmakers have been looking to include components of the president's jobs plan, specifically an extension of unemployment insurance, the payroll tax cut, money for infrastructure repairs and the creation of an infrastructure bank.

"In a fully functioning political system [the super committee] would be the right place to do it," another senior administration official said when asked about tacking on those items.

Comments

[CanadjunBeef]

03:52 AM on 10/29/2011

This is typical Obama. Having built the machine for his own destruction -- the super committee -- he now seeks to make it serve his ends. I've never seen a politician so adept at undermining his own goals.
When the committee's Republicans reject the overall deal -- and they will, because the modern GOP does not negotiate -- it will trigger $2 trillion in devastating budget cuts. Smooth move.

[Florian EngageAmerica]

05:13 PM on 10/28/2011

It is good to see that the Jobs Bill is developing momentum and being considered pieces or as a whole. However, as the Super Committee is being approached on the matter, we mustn’t forget the importance of a long terms strategy on economic development and recovery. In its initial stages, $447 Billion is still a tall order in a time when we are trying to figure out how not to spend money. Not only that, but jobs that we are creating can’t just disappear the moment they’re created. When the projected Job Creation is estimated to fall by over 280,000 jobs by 2013, it’s quite a risk we are taking, (http://eng.am/qM1myt) especially when we’re also asking those who have the power to create jobs to use their resources and simultaneously also not develop opportunities in their own sectors. Again, it’s a good short term strategy, but we really need to work on what happens later.

[CURARE]

11:32 AM on 10/28/2011

only obama pay attenion to this super committee, it does not reflect the true sentiment of the real voters, thats why in 2012 the dems are going down again

[Make up you own mind]

01:19 PM on 10/28/2011

Live in reality much ? OBAMA 2012

[laser focused]

02:44 PM on 10/28/2011

do you weenie?

[oheart]

02:38 PM on 10/28/2011

What real voters; do you mean the diminishing tea party; polls are showing most Americans have a negative attitude towards them; public opinion is shifting more towards the OWS movement and increased taxation for the top 1%.

[laser focused]

02:47 PM on 10/28/2011

You won't see one dimes worth of tax increase until the 47% that don't pay any federal taxes and in fact get back a govt bonus check start kicking in.

[CURARE]

11:28 AM on 10/28/2011

Reid does not even want a vote on this hideous job bill, it is dead in the senate even so in the house

[PsylliPig]

09:30 AM on 10/28/2011

With all this debate about the jobs bill going on, what's really happening is that 2 million people are losing their unemployment benefits, their safety net, and will fall into the homeless category in this year alone. Then, before the coming elections of 2012, there are another 6 million people losing their unemployment benefits by the summer. Republicans are counting on homelessness preventing people from voting. The demographic most affected is the middle class, which the corporately owned Republicans are doing a great job of getting rid of, while the working class are kept entranced by false issues like abortion and gay rights. Hell, check. Handbasket, check. United States, check. Here we go.

[laser focused]

01:17 PM on 10/28/2011

Too many people have made the safety net a large hammock to lay back and swing in. We're moving that message...too bad if you don't like it. Keep trying to prove it all wrong.

[CanadjunBeef]

03:55 AM on 10/29/2011

Yeah, keep envying the poor and unemployed.

[mollyjackson]

08:45 AM on 10/28/2011

super committee .....he would do anything to cram this pork down the American people.

[Abo]

08:24 AM on 10/28/2011

There he goes again.
As Obama would say, make no mistake about it, this is the one thing he has been bound and determined to do--slash the New Deal and maybe make his hero/daddy figure, Reagan, proud.
Think of it, FDR entered office under the same circumstances as Obama and what did he achieve in his first 100 days? Obama squandered a historical opportunity to reform healthcare--which would've actually solved many economic woes, cost the least and be good for business, instead he opted to institute Romneycare--another boon for the insurance cartels he struck a deal with behind closed doors.
It was downhill from there.
FDR introduced the New Deal during a Depression, the crown jewel of Democratic achievement, Obama seeks to undermine it during a Depression--constantly putting Social Security on the chopping block and using Medicare as a bargaining chip at a time when, according to the latest census figures, 49% of Americans need the safety net.
For him, I have nothing but contempt.

[RUKidding0]

06:41 AM on 10/28/2011

"Obama Turns To Super Congress As 'Avenue' To Push Big Plan" is a damnable lie.

Obama merely seeks to divide, dissemble, and dissuade until the American electorate forgets the outrageous mess he has brought upon America - at least long enough to get re-elected.

[TROOPER-X]

06:08 AM on 10/28/2011

LOL. This is one of the practices which must be erradicated in Washington. If the jobs boondoggle cannot pass the smell test on it's own, stuffing it inside this pinata doesn't quite veil the scent. The President will have to fund this bill out of pocket, as bribing union constituents is for his benefit...................not the nation.

[Fortheloveofhumanity]

05:53 AM on 10/28/2011

Obama keeps flailing around he has a plan but no one wants it.

[DecouplefromWallSt]

04:21 AM on 10/28/2011

US taxpayers paid for S. Korea's defense since 1950. S.Korea has the lowest debt to GDP ratio in the world (22% and their debt is going down). Our debt to GDP ratio of 100% is rapidly going up. There is a higher standard of living in Seoul than in any US city. Our rate of indebtedness is 500% that of South Korea, yet WE pay for THEIR defense? Hello! What S. Koreans think of US taxpayers paying for S. Korea's defense since 1950: "priceless".

I could balance the federal budget in 6 months AND create a net new 1 to 2 million new jobs. Everywhere you look in Washington, money is wasted. Cutting waste and instead spending that money more efficiently, results in a sharp INCREASE in JOBS. America's budget problems and jobs problems are a self created mirage in the desert. The S. Koreans who didn't pay for their defense since 1950 spent their money building world beating industries in cars, consumer electronics, ship building, nuclear reactors, steel, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors etc. So the US taxpayer subsidizes Korea's industries so that they could invest more than us, and then beat us economically - all the while, we pay for their defense! Balancing the US budget means MORE jobs, not less jobs because we stop spending money on crap and instead spend it on efficient job creation.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/dougbandow/2011/05/03/why-u-s-troops-still-in-korea/

[Labor Party]

04:13 AM on 10/28/2011

We have not forgotten who came up with this super committee nonsense or the peoples programs you put on the table Mr. President.

NOT ONE CUT to SS or Medicare without huge cuts to the military AND NEW substantial tax revenue increases on the wealthiest Americans. (even then there better be no cuts to COLA or Medicare on the benefits side.)

The American People are watching and we have sacrificed far too much skin already!

[Abo]

08:26 AM on 10/28/2011

NOT ONE CUT to SS or Medicare.

Not one dime.

Period.

[Labor Party]

09:19 PM on 10/30/2011

They better cut half the revenues and put SUBSTANTIAL REVENUE INCREASES on the wealthy to even consider such a move and I don't trust THIS CONGRESS or its SUPER COMMITTEE to do that so I have to agree with you.

Putting OUR programs on the table and then looking for compromise IS NOT GOING TO SELL to most of Americans who VOTE!

[cadawa]

04:10 AM on 10/28/2011

Does Obama have to make every mistake humanly possible? Can't he skip just one?
It's not a good jobs bill. It's certainly not worth implementing self defeating cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, especially when there are all those millionaires and dead beat corporations begging to be taxed and bloated, unpopular Pentagon and Security Apparatus (police state infrastructure) budgets in desperate need of trimming.
It's helpful, if you want to solve a problem, to have the solutions have at least some relationship to the cause.

[parlimentMike]

03:28 AM on 10/28/2011

I don't think we'll get to solutions until Mega Congress, or Hyper Congress, or Galactic Congress.

These are not serious people in Washington.

[MUDPUPPY]

02:54 AM on 10/28/2011

Obama's big stimulus plan band aid didn't work. What makes him think this mini band aid stimulus plan will work?

[Josh Crawford]

04:58 AM on 10/28/2011

Oh really? According to who? John Boehner, Eric Cantor and FoxNews? Well, I have several organizations that say you're all LYING. To wit:
A February 2011 CBO report estimated that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act added anywhere from 1.1 to 3.5 percent to overall economic activity; reduced the unemployment rate by 0.7 to 1.9 percent; increased the number of people employed (i.e. "saved") between 1.3 million and 3.5 million; and CREATED 1.3 million to 3.6 million jobs. IHS/Global Insight reported 2.45 million jobs were saved or CREATED. The Macroeconomic Advisers reported 2.3 million jobs were saved or CREATED. And Moody's Economy reported 2.5 million jobs were saved or CREATED. Upon the signing of the ARRA, every economic indicator shows that the economy turned around almost instantly. In January of 2009, the economy lost 820,000 jobs. By June, that number was cut in half. In November on 2009, the economy CREATED 50,000 jobs. The Dow rose from 6,000 at the beginning of 2009 to over 10,000 by the end of the year. First quarter GDP rose from -6.4 percent to +5.7 percent by the fourth quarter.

[laser focused]

08:28 AM on 10/28/2011

Not everybody was going to lose their job. So the saved part is a myth. We have a higher number and less people working -- what are you talking about?

[TROOPER-X]

06:11 AM on 10/28/2011

His ego. Not a fan of cutting military spending excessively, but if these childish games will be played......................let the automatic spending cut trigger kick in. Noone has to argue about those.