**FILE** President Obama speaks April 30, 2012, in Washington. (Associated Press) more >Putting pressure on Congress to approve parts of his latest economic stimulus plan, President Obama urged Americans Saturday to push lawmakers to approve his multibillion-dollar "to-do list" for creating jobs.
"Each of the ideas on this list will help create jobs and build a stronger economy right now," Mr. Obama said in his weekly address. "Let's push Congress to do the right thing. Let's keep moving this country forward together."
The president's list includes an expanded program to help homeowners refinance their mortgages, a proposal to give small businesses tax breaks for hiring more workers, a program that would help veterans find jobs, and an extension of tax credits for clean-energy companies.
He lobbied for the refinancing plan Friday in a speech in Reno, Nev. – a state that ranks second in the nation in mortgage foreclosures.
All told, the proposals on the president's list could cost up to $34.7 billion: They are part of a more comprehensive $447 billion jobs package that Congress mostly has resisted.
Mr. Obama didn't discuss in his address the cost of his proposals or how to pay for them. The refinancing plan, for example, would likely include a fee charged to homeowners.
The president often uses his weekly address to sum up major actions he took during the week, but Mr. Obama made no mention Saturday of the biggest headline he generated – his announcement that he now supports same-sex marriage.
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Dave Boyer is a White House correspondent for The Washington Times. A native of Allentown, Pa., Boyer worked for the Philadelphia Inquirer from 2002 to 2011 and also has covered Congress for the Times. He is a graduate of Penn State University. Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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