Cantor: Obama Jobs Bill 'Dead'

By Jon E. Dougherty at 4 Oct 2011

(Newsroom America) -- House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said Tuesday that President Obama's jobs bill was "dead," adding that the president's "all or nothing approach" was unacceptable.

When asked during a press briefing by a reporter if the American Jobs Act was dead, Cantor replied, "yes," then said, "It seems as if the president is in full campaign mode. The president continues to say ‘pass my bill in its entirety.’ As I’ve said from the outset, this all-or-nothing approach is just not acceptable."

Cantor also questioned whether Obama had enough votes in the Democrat-controlled Senate to get his bill through.

"I think – from a purely practical standpoint – the president’s got some whipping to do on his own side of the aisle," he said. "Clearly, I think comments made by Democrats on both the House and Senate side indicated they’ve got problems with the president’s bill."

Just last week Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin told Chicago-area radio station WLS that Obama would not have "100 percent" Democratic support for his measure.

"The oil-producing state senators don't like eliminating or reducing the subsidy for oil companies," Durbin said, according to CNSNews.com. "There are some senators who are up for election who say I'm never gonna’ vote for a tax increase while I’m up for election, even on the wealthiest people. So, we're not going to have 100 percent Democratic senators."

Obama's bill has been introduced in both chambers of Congress, but so far it does not have any co-sponsors, including in the Senate where it was introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

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