Obama pushing 'to do' list for Congress

WASHINGTON – Applying pressure on Congress, President Barack Obama intends to lay out an election year "to do" list Tuesday that urges lawmakers to take another look at economic proposals to promote job creation and help families refinance their mortgages.

The White House said Obama planned to detail the list during a stop at a college science complex in Albany, N.Y. It's his latest attempt to portray congressional Republicans as blocking his economic agenda at a time when millions of Americans are out of work. Obama has sought to tie Republican Mitt Romney to GOP leaders in Congress, arguing that the likely GOP presidential nominee would simply rubber stamp their policies.

Obama's wish list includes a number of proposals he has outlined previously but which have failed to gain traction in Congress. They include eliminating tax incentives for companies that ship jobs overseas and promoting new tax credits for small businesses and for companies to develop clean energy.

For veterans, Obama planned to press Congress anew to pass legislation creating a Veterans Job Corps to help service members returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan find work as police officers and firefighters.

And to address the housing crisis, Obama was expected to bring attention to a measure designed to help homeowners refinance their homes at lower interest rates. Obama was making the housing pitch during a stop Friday in Reno, Nev., the state that has been the epicenter of the nation's housing meltdown.

Republicans said they had their own list — a series of economic bills that they had passed but had made little progress with Senate Democrats.

"While the president is recycling five old ideas, Republicans in the House have already sent the Senate a much lengthier 'to-do' list. We've passed nearly 30 jobs bills to increase American competitiveness, expand domestic energy production and rein in the red tape that is burdening small businesses. Democrats are blocking every one of them," said Brendan Buck, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

Obama was issuing his list during a stop at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the State University of New York. The president has made a number of trips to universities, manufacturing plants and technology firms, seeking to promote research and development in a number of industries.