in VOA Special English.President Obamais urging Congressto approve a plan designedto create jobs.He announced his proposalsThursday nightin a speech to Congress.BARACK OBAMA: "I am sendingthis Congress a planthat you should pass right away.It's called the American Jobs Act.There should be nothingcontroversial aboutthis piece of legislation.Everything in hereis the kind of proposalthat's been supportedby both Democrats and Republicans-- including manywho sit here tonight.And everything in this billwill be paid for. Everything."The plan will cost almostfour hundred fifty billion dollars.As a spending bill,it goes firstto the House of Representatives,which the Republican Party controls.The speech followed monthsof political battles overhow to lower federal budget deficitsand the fourteen-trillion-dollarnational debt.A compromise in July providedfor one trillion dollarsin spending cutsover the next ten years.In return, Congress raisedthe government's debt limit.But that deal failedto prevent a reductionin the nation's credit rating.In his message,Mr. Obama called on Republicansand democrats to stop arguingand put people back to work.BARACK OBAMA: "The peopleof this country work hardto meet their responsibilities.The question tonightis whether we'll meet ours.The question is whether,in the face of an ongoingnational crisis,we can stop the political circusand actually do somethingto help the economy."His jobs plan includesextended cuts in the payroll taxfor workers and employers.It also includes assistancefor businesses that add workers.The plan aims to put peopleto work repairingand modernizing roads, railways,airports, waterways and at leastthirty-five thousand schools.It also includes financial aidto state and local governmentsand job training to helpthe long-term unemployed.And it includes steps to increasethe employment of military veterans.The president said he willrelease a deficit plana week from Monday.It will not only coverthe cost of the jobs bill, he said,but deal with debt in the long term.The recent budget compromisecreated a twelve-membercongressional committee.That committee has until late Novemberto identify one and a half trillionin additional savingsover the next ten years.Among Republicans, House SpeakerJohn Boehner saidMr. Obama's proposals"merit consideration."He also said he hopes the presidentgives serious considerationto Republican proposals.Representative Steve King of Iowa saidhe did not believe the Housewould pass the whole bill.STEVE KING: "I am really doubtfulif there is going to be a movementin this House to pick up a package.There might be a couple of thingsthat we could try to lift out of it.I am not surewhat they are at this point."Mr. Obama also urged Congressto approve trade agreementswith Panama, Colombia and South Korea.That was one of the few timesin the speech when Republicansstood and cheered.Most Democrats stayed seated.Mr. Obama said some lawmakersmight feel that differencescan be settled only by votersat the ballot box.But he said Americanswho are struggling financiallyneed a Congress that will act now.BARACK OBAMA: "Know this:the next electionis fourteen months away.And the people who sent us here-- the people who hired usto work for them-- they don't have the luxuryof waiting fourteen months."Opinion polls show that most Americanshave lost hope that politicianscan bring downthe high unemployment rate.Currently the national rateis 9.1 percent.And that's IN THE NEWSin VOA Special English.