After days of labeling Republican Mitt Romney as a “pioneer” in the field of outsourcing jobs, President Obama now faces the contention that he is the one at the cutting edge.
The Republican National Committee on Tuesday launched a new website charging that Obama “sent taxpayer dollars” to build solar panels in Mexico, windmills in Denmark and batteries in South Korea. The accusation involves money from the 2009 stimulus package that went to foreign-owned companies or to companies relying on foreign suppliers.
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus timed the launch of the website with a visit Tuesday to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as Obama prepared for a campaign stop there later in the day.
The Obama campaign disputed the Republican charge.
“President Obama has fought continuously to encourage in-sourcing and create a level playing field for American workers,” campaign officials said in a six-page response to the new Republican website.
Obama has fought to end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas, they said, and each of his annual budgets has included proposals for changes in the way corporations pay taxes on income from overseas operations. In addition, they said, Obama has doubled the rate of trade enforcement actions against China and signed three trade agreements the administration projects will boost U.S. exports by more than $12 billion per year.
The stimulus act's investments in clean energy supported American jobs and spurred the U.S. industry, they say.
In addition to the GOP website, the Obama campaign also has to contend with complaints by some on the left that he hasn’t used all the tools at his disposal to protect Americans jobs from being shipped offshore.
White House officials say Obama has been vigorous in trying to slow the flow of jobs but that major changes will require action by Congress, particularly to rewrite the rules that let American companies avoid and delay paying taxes on income earned overseas.
But liberal critics say Obama could have taken steps without Congress, including changes in U.S. rules on visas and a tougher policy toward China, according tothe Washington Post.
The president’s surrogates continue to focus on what they hope will be of greater interest to voters in Iowa – the outsourcing of jobs that happened while Romney was with the private equity firm Bain Capital.
"While the president has fought to stop outsourcing, Romney's Bain invested in companies that were pioneers in outsourcing American jobs to low-wage countries," the Obama defense says.
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The Republican National Committee on Tuesday launched a new website charging that Obama “sent taxpayer dollars” to build solar panels in Mexico, windmills in Denmark and batteries in South Korea. The accusation involves money from the 2009 stimulus package that went to foreign-owned companies or to companies relying on foreign suppliers.
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus timed the launch of the website with a visit Tuesday to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as Obama prepared for a campaign stop there later in the day.
The Obama campaign disputed the Republican charge.
“President Obama has fought continuously to encourage in-sourcing and create a level playing field for American workers,” campaign officials said in a six-page response to the new Republican website.
Obama has fought to end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas, they said, and each of his annual budgets has included proposals for changes in the way corporations pay taxes on income from overseas operations. In addition, they said, Obama has doubled the rate of trade enforcement actions against China and signed three trade agreements the administration projects will boost U.S. exports by more than $12 billion per year.
The stimulus act's investments in clean energy supported American jobs and spurred the U.S. industry, they say.
In addition to the GOP website, the Obama campaign also has to contend with complaints by some on the left that he hasn’t used all the tools at his disposal to protect Americans jobs from being shipped offshore.
White House officials say Obama has been vigorous in trying to slow the flow of jobs but that major changes will require action by Congress, particularly to rewrite the rules that let American companies avoid and delay paying taxes on income earned overseas.
But liberal critics say Obama could have taken steps without Congress, including changes in U.S. rules on visas and a tougher policy toward China, according tothe Washington Post.
The president’s surrogates continue to focus on what they hope will be of greater interest to voters in Iowa – the outsourcing of jobs that happened while Romney was with the private equity firm Bain Capital.
"While the president has fought to stop outsourcing, Romney's Bain invested in companies that were pioneers in outsourcing American jobs to low-wage countries," the Obama defense says.
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