Obama’s jobs agenda stalls in Congress

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

The election-year jobs agenda promised by President Barack Obama and Democrats has stalled seven months before voters determine control of Congress.

Democrats have no money to pay for the program. That’s because Republicans and the Democratic chairman of the Senate Budget Committee objected to taking money left from the fund that bailed out banks, automakers and insurers and using it for the jobs bill.

Such a move, they insisted, would add billions of dollars to the $12.8 trillion national debt.

What’s going ahead instead are more modest initiatives. That includes help for small businesses or simple extensions of parts from last year’s economic stimulus measure.

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