President Barack Obama is set to announce a series of economic initiatives on Monday aimed at helping struggling middle class families.
The White House has promised a sharper focus on jobs and the economy as the dust settles from the punishing loss of the late Edward M. Kennedy’s Senate seat in Massachusetts. Republicans won the seat for the first time in decades and took away Democrats’ 60-vote majority in the Senate, which Mr. Obama’s party had needed to bypass Republicans’ tactics to stall legislation.
Democrats are trying to regroup to head off more populist anger and stem more losses of congressional seats in the November elections. Mr. Obama’s poll numbers are also off - primarily because of the slow economic recovery and double-digit unemployment. A majority of Americans also have turned against health care reform, the president’s signature legislative effort now in jeopardy.
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Mr. Obama’s proposals include a doubling of a child care tax credit, caps on student loan payments, and aid for families taking care of elderly relatives. The plan would also offer retirement savings options for workers who don’t get an employer-based plan.
The initiatives being announced on Monday were first reported by The New York Times.
A White House official says they are aimed at the “sandwich generation” - Americans that are struggling to care for both their children and their parents.
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Helping middle class families in particular is expected to be a key theme on Wednesday when Mr. Obama delivers his first State of the Union address. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the speech has not been finalized.
Mr. Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden will announce the initiatives at a meeting of the administration’s middle class task force.