President Obama and congressional Republicans both say they want to help veterans find jobs but can't agree on exactly how.

Obama unveiled a series of executive initiatives today while urging congressional Republicans to back the parts of his $447 billion jobs bill that include tax breaks for employers who hire veterans.

"Our veterans did their jobs -- it's time for Congress to do theirs," Obama said at the White House, part of a pressure-the-Republicans campaign White House aides have dubbed "We Can't Wait."

"It's time for them to put country before party, put our veterans back to work and pass this element of the jobs package that benefits our veterans and gives businesses an incentive to hire veterans," the president said while flanked by members of veterans groups.

House Republicans say they have passed a Veterans Opportunity to Work Act, which would provide education and training assistance, but the Democratic leadership in the Senate has not taken up the matter.

"Giving veterans a hand up is one clear area of common ground; that's why the House has already passed a bipartisan veterans jobs bill," said Brendan Buck, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

"But with that bill -- and 21 others -- collecting dust in the Democrat-run Senate," he said, "we need the president to engage in the process, not just give more speeches."

Both parties are looking to do something before Veterans Day, which is Friday.

In recent weeks, Senate Republicans have blocked votes on Obama's $447 billion jobs bill, objecting to Democratic plans to finance it with tax surcharges on millionaires.

In response, Obama and the Democrats have split the legislation up into pieces, forcing votes on different aspects of the package -- and this week it's tax credits for employers willing to hire veterans.

The Returning Heroes Tax Credit provides firms that hire unemployed veterans with a maximum credit of $5,600 per veteran, the White House says. The Wounded Warriors Tax Credit offers firms that hire veterans with service-connected disabilities with a maximum credit of $9,600 per veteran.

Obama -- who reported that more than 850,000 veterans remain unemployed -- said, "We ask our men and women in uniform to leave their families and their jobs and risk their lives to fight for our country. The last thing they should have to do is fight for a job when they come home."

GOP Senators said they are preparing to push their own veterans package.

"Republicans in the Senate have been calling on the Dem leadership to move bills that have bipartisan support, without the tax hikes that have only led to bipartisan opposition," said Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

In addition to calling out Republicans over the jobs bill, Obama's "We Can't Wait" effort includes executive actions he says are designed to help create jobs.

Obama outlined three plans for veterans today, saying, "As commander in chief, I won't wait -- nor will I let politics get in the way of -- making sure that veterans share in the opportunity that they defend."

Today's three orders, as described by the White House: