President Barack Obama is pushing on to encourage more innovation among American businesses, while Republicans warn against government solutions in their dueling weekly addresses.
President Obama recorded his message earlier this week on the factory floor of the Orion Energy System company in the northern state of Wisconsin. He said he was proposing bigger tax credits for the research that companies do to promote clean energy, such as wind power and solar panels.
"This is going to spur new products and technologies," said Obama. "It is going to lead to good new jobs and that is how we win the future by unleashing the talent and ingenuity of American businesses and American workers in every corner of this country."
Mr. Obama said he wants 80 percent of electricity in the United States to come from clean energy by 2035.
The Republican address also came from Wisconsin, and newly elected Senator, former plastic manufacturer Ron Johnson.
While Republicans now have a majority in the House of Representatives after elections last year, they still are in the minority in the Senate. Senator Johnson said he hoped Mr. Obama and the president's Democratic Party will change their government-dependent policies when it comes to rebuilding the U.S. economy.
"I hope the president and his allies in Congress accept this single truth: big government is blocking job creation, not helping," said Johnson. "The sooner Washington ends this dependence on more spending, the sooner our economy will see real growth."
President Obama says he plans to be in Pennsylvania next week to push his message of innovation. Senator Johnson says the president should spend time to come up with a serious plan for controlling spending and the colossal U.S. deficit, expected to reach $1.5 trillion this year.
