President Obama renewed his push for his stalled jobs bill in his weekly address Saturday, arguing that the legislation could play a critical role in preventing teachers around the country from being pink-slipped in cash-strapped states.
"It should concern everyone that right now – all across America – tens of thousands of teachers are getting laid off," Obama said, citing the loss of some 250,000 educators over the past three years nationwide, as well as the shrinking pool of teachers in the swing states of Pennsylvania and Ohio. "When there are fewer teachers in our schools, class sizes start climbing up. Our students start falling behind. And our economy takes a hit."
Obama's campaign has argued that the American Jobs Act could create a million jobs. When he rolled out the plan last fall, the President proposed devoting $35 billion to prevent layoffs of 280,000 teachers while hiring "tens of thousands" of police officers and firefighters. Congress passed a few elements of the bill but not that portion directing aid to states and municipalities.
"When states struggle, it's up to Congress to step in and help out," Obama said in his address Saturday. "In 2009 and in 2010, we provided aid to states to help keep hundreds of thousands of teachers in the classroom. But we need to do more…. There's no excuse for inaction."