President Obama promised to make Republicans vote, piece by piece, on the American Jobs Act they rejected. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has picked out the first couple of pieces:
"Democrats will pursue the President's plan to keep nearly 400,000 teachers and support staff where they belong - in the classroom. A $30 billion investment will help local school districts not only avoid layoffs, but also rehire tens of thousands of teachers who have already lost their jobs because of budget cuts.We will also commit $5 billion to retaining the police, firefighters and first responders who work so hard to keep our communities safe, and to rehiring those who have been laid off during these tough economic times.Our economy cannot afford to lose any more jobs."
It's worth noting that President Obama's first big stimulus package included $1 billion for keeping police officers on the job, money that went to towns and cities all over the country. The COPS Hiring Program just announced the winners of $240 million in new funding. The local places that are getting the federal help seem darned happy about it.
(Photo: Rapid City, South Dakota, where they're getting four new cops with federal help. @JimmyWayne/Flickr)