White House Press Secretary Jay Carney addressed reporters on a range of key issues this morning, from previewing President Obama’s jobs plan speech today in North Carolina, to yesterday’s special congressional elections in Nevada and New York, both won by Republicans, to reports suggesting that the White House inappropriately rushed millions of dollars worth of stimulus grants to energy company Solyndra, which would later go bankrupt.
The following notes are courtesy of today’s White House travel pool reporter, Carrie Budoff Brown of Politico:
Carney spoke with reporters for about 15 minutes on poll numbers, Solyndra and special elections
Highlights of the gaggle:
In his remarks, the President will announce a new memorandum directing agencies to accelerate their payments to small businesses. The goverment pays $100 billion to small businesses annually. Under the new policy, the government will cut goal in half, from 30 days to 15 days. The idea came from the jobs council.
On Bloomberg News poll showing 51 percent of Americans don’t think the jobs plan will lower unemployment: “I think that means half the American people based on that poll believe it will help create jobs and grow the economy. … The American people want Washington to take action.”
More of a sales job needed from the president?
“We are not done pressing Congress and reaching out to the American people.”
Reax to the special elections. How can they be viewed as anything other than a referendum?
“Special elections are often unique and their outcomes don’t tell you very much about future regularly scheduled elections.”
“You can make those predictions and look foolish in 14 months or not, I’m simply saying we do not view them it way (as a referendum).”
In New York, it was a special case in a specific district in a low turnout election, Carney said.
On Solyndra emails, did the admin act appropriately?
“What the emails make clear is there was urgency to make a decision on a scheduling matter. It is a big proposition to move the president or to put on an event and that sort of thing so people were simply looking for answers about whether or not people could move forward.”
The admin sees nothing wrong with accelerating the process for a scheduling need?
“It had nothing to - and there is no evidence to the contrary - nothing to do with anything besides the need to get an answer to make a scheduling decision.”
Is the president happy with the approach?
Carney said he hasn’t discussed it with the president.
Asked if there an internal review, Carney said the administration has been cooperative with Congress.