President Barack Obama visited the Twin Cities Friday to unveil a new jobs program for veterans and tout a Minnesota company’s efforts to hire former members of the military.
Obama’s appearance — his first in the state since last August — brought him before about 1,700 cheering Honeywell International employees at a Golden Valley location. The president praised the company’s dedication to hiring veterans – about 900 of them since 2011.
The president said the new jobs program aims to make it easier for service members to translate military skills to private sector employment.
He again called on Congress to pass the multi-pronged jobs legislation he introduced last year.
Obama also stressed that America’s slowly recovering economy still needs to be stoked if it’s to remain insulated from mounting fiscal pressures in Europe.
“The economy is growing again, but it’s not growing as fast as we want it to grow,” he said.
In his speech, the president outlined his jobs priorities for Congress: pass his legislative jobs bills to put teachers, firefighters and construction workers back to work, institute small-business tax credits for hiring workers domestically and renew tax credits for green energy companies.
“So those are all steps that we could be taking to strengthen the economy, to provide us some insurance if the situation overseas starts getting worse so we can control our own destiny, keep this recovery moving forward,” Obama said.
The president also used the speech to jab at the GOP-controlled Congress for not adopting his job-creating initiatives quickly enough and to reinforce his pro-veterans stance.
"It’s not lost on anybody that it’s an election year — I understand that,” Obama said jokingly. “I’ve noticed.”
“My message to Congress is: Now is not the time to play politics,” he added. “Now is not the time to sit on your hands. The American people expect their leaders to work hard no matter what year it is.”
Obama reiterated that lawmakers should pass his $1 billion Veterans Job Corps to put service members back to work, and also outlined new Department of Defense initiatives that could help up to 126,000 veterans more easily receive private certifications based on their military experience.
Those certifications could translate into jobs in manufacturing, health care and logistics. A combat medic, for example, could more easily become a first-responder or emergency medical technician.
“Let me tell you something — if you can save a life on the battlefield, you can save a life in an ambulance,” Obama said.
“So this task force’s first action is going to create opportunities for up to 126,000 service members to gain the industry-recognized certifications for high-demand manufacturing jobs like the jobs right here at this plant at Honeywell.”
Sharath Venkatesha, a Honeywell employee, said he appreciated Obama’s message for veterans. The Golden Valley location employs 65 service members.
“I think it is really great,” he said. “It’s really important for the veterans to feel comfortable in their home country, and they know that people care for them and are grateful for what they do.”
Tom Struwve, a project manager at Honeywell, agreed and said he was happy the president came to Minnesota and highlighted the company.
“Hiring veterans should be a key activity of all businesses in Minnesota and the nation,” he said. “Because they served us, we need to return the favor.”
The president toured the Honeywell facilities before addressing the 1,700-strong crowd at noon. After his speech, Obama attended a series of fundraisers in Minneapolis before departing for Chicago.
When Obama landed Friday morning, he was greeted by Gov. Mark Dayton, Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar, Rep. Keith Ellison and Mayors R.T. Rybak and Chris Coleman.