Friday is Veterans Day, and President Obama gets an early start today by announcing three initiatives aimed at helping former servicemembers find jobs.
It’s another move in what the White House has dubbed its “We Can’t Wait” campaign, stressing executive action as Obama criticizes Republican members of Congress for opposing his jobs package, which includes provisions for veterans.
Obama will speak about veterans and jobs at noon at the White House.
Senate Republicans said they support a broader veterans package than the one Obama backs, and they predicted Senate passage before Friday’s holiday.
“Unlike the president’s bill, which is paid for with a permanent tax hike, these bills are expected to be bipartisan,” said Don Stewart, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
A White House statement says Obama will unveil three executive actions today:
— “Effective today, Post-9/11 veterans will be able to download the Veteran Gold Card, which entitles them to enhanced services including six months of personalized case management, assessments and counseling, at the roughly 3,000 One-Stop Career Centers located across the country; this could help serve the more than 200,000 unemployed Post-9/11 veterans.”
— “The Department of Labor will launch My Next Move for Veterans, a new online resource that allows veterans to enter their military occupation code and discover civilian occupations for which they are well qualified. The site will also include information about salaries, apprenticeships, and other related education and training programs.”
— “Creating a Veterans Job Bank: Starting Monday, the Administration will launch the Veterans Job Bank at the National Resource Directory, an easy to use tool to help veterans find job postings from companies looking to hire them. It already searches over 500,000 job postings and is growing.”
These services can be accessed through the website www.whitehouse.gov/vets.
Obama will discuss these ideas in a morning meeting with veterans groups that include the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
“Veterans shouldn’t have to fight for a job once they’ve come home, and President Obama will continue to pressure congressional Republicans to pass these tax credits,” the White House statement said. “But we can’t wait for Congress to act.”
The White House statement said the jobs bill includes two tax cut provisions designed to benefit veterans:
“The Returning Heroes Tax Credit provides firms that hire unemployed veterans with a maximum credit of $5,600 per veteran. The Wounded Warriors Tax Credit offers firms that hire veterans with service-connected disabilities with a maximum credit of $9,600 per veteran.”
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