President Barack Obama plans to kick off what the White House is calling a "Middle Class Jobs and Opportunity Tour" in Austin, Texas Thursday to garner support for his economic proposals,
The Hill reported Monday.
"The President's trip will be similar to previous 'White House to Main Street' events that directly engage the American people and effectively pushed Congress to act," The White House said in a statement. "Things are getting better, but our economic recovery is not as strong as it could be and far too many middle class families are struggling. The question is, will Congress join with the President to make sure the middle class is strong and secure?"
Obama has used public appeals in the past to gain support in Congress for his agenda items, such as extending the payroll tax cuts, lowering rates on student loans, and to reach an agreement on the "fiscal cliff" deal earlier this year.
However, when similar efforts were made to urge Congress to replace the sequester and gain support for infrastructure programs, it did little to help, The Hill noted.
Previous rally tours have led to criticism from Republican leaders, and this one is no exception.
A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner pointed to Obama policies on energy, taxes, and healthcare that Republicans say has put an additional strain on the economy.
"The economy is still Americans' top concern because the president's policies keep making it harder to create jobs," said Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck. "Unfortunately, I doubt we'll hear much about any of those things during this road show."
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.