Obama Puts Foot Down With Republicans On Jobs Plan during Morning Press Conference

"I think it's fair to say that I have gone out of my way in every instance -- sometimes at my own political peril and to the frustration of Democrats -- to work with Republicans to find common ground to move this country forward," he said before adding that the tactic hasn't worked.

"Each time, what we've seen in games-playing, a preference to try to score political points rather than actually get something done on the part of the other side," the president explained.

With the plan expected to come up for debate in the Senate next week, he urged every senator to think "long and hard about what's at stake." Obama said, "Any senator out there who's thinking about voting against this jobs bill when it comes up for a vote needs to explain exactly why they would oppose something we know would improve our economic situation at such an urgent time."