'I want to make sure you have all the facts,' Boehner (right) told Obama, Obama calls Boehner, gets earful

President Barack Obama called House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) Thursday to congratulate him for passing three trade agreements — but ended up getting an earful on the jobs debate.

According to an unusually detailed account released by the speaker’s office, Boehner “respectfully challenged” the president for saying Thursday that he has not yet seen a jobs plan from Republicans.


“I want to make sure you have all the facts,” Boehner told Obama, the account of the 10-minute call said.

It is the latest sign of continued frosty relations between the speaker and the president, who have struggled to form a working partnership, particularly after the collapse of negotiations in July for a “grand bargain” on deficit reduction. By providing a rare readout of the call, Boehner’s office is trying to highlight that Obama is ignoring attempts by House Republicans to address the jobs crisis.

At a press conference with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Obama said he is prepared to work with Republicans but added that “I haven’t yet seen” a GOP plan that would create jobs in the near term.

“And so, eventually, I’m hoping that they actually put forward some proposals that indicate that they feel that sense of urgency about people — needing to put people back to work right now,” Obama said.

The speaker, who last spoke with the president three weeks ago, reminded Obama that the House GOP released a jobs plan in May and that his leadership team has spoken with Obama and his staff about the plan “on numerous occasions.”

“The speaker told the president that when he sent his jobs plan to the Hill, Republicans pledged to give it consideration, and have done so,” the release stated. “The president was reminded of a memo written by GOP leaders outlining the specific areas where they believe common ground can be found. The Speaker also noted that a number of the president’s ideas have already been acted on in the House, including a veterans hiring bill, trade agreements, and a three percent withholding bill approved by the Ways & Means Committee today that will be considered on the House floor this month.”

Josh Earnest, deputy White House press secretary, declined to comment on the details of the conversation.

“The president has been very clear that he is willing to work with Democrats and Republicans to pass measures to create jobs and get our economy moving,” Earnest said in a statement. “As independent economists have said, the American Jobs Act is the only plan that will create jobs and help the economy now.”

Obama’s jobs bill stalled in the Senate this week when it could not attract enough support to advance. The House has not voted on his bill.

Jake Sherman contributed to this report.