House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) blamed President Obama Wednesday for “checking out” and for not playing a larger role in solving the array of pressing issues facing the country.
“[The President] spent the last six months campaigning from one end of the country to the other instead of working with members of both political parties here in Washington to address the serious challenges this country faces.,” Boehner told reporters at his weekly press conference. “He’s shrinking from his responsibility to lead and [is] not using and not having any courage to help tackle these problems.”
Obama is traveling to Ohio Wednesday to talk with a number of unemployed workers undergoing some job specific training at Lorain Community College. Following his brief visit to Ohio, the President will head to Dearborn, Mich. where he’ll attend two campaign events.
House Republicans have tagged some of Obama’s proposals, like the so-called Buffett Rule and his more recent attack on oil speculators, as political gimmicks and have retaliated with their own. The House will soon take up another highway bill that includes, yet again, a provision that would approve the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Obama has already threatened to veto the measure.
Boehner said the House is only matching the gimmickry coming from the White House, and looked to Obama for deeper involvement in the processes being undertaken in Congress.
“The president’s been AWOL,” Boehner said. “When there’s no conversation, there’s no engagement, all we’re left with is moving our own ideas through the regular order, through the regular process here in Congress.”
