Reporting from Washington — President Obama used a visit to a GE plant in upstate New York to outline a new mission for his economic team, a shift from economic rescue into "overdrive" spurred in part by a ramping up of American exports.
The event at the birthplace of GE also served as the introduction of the company's CEO, Jeffrey Immelt, as the leader of Obama's new Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. It will replace the Economic Recovery Advisory Board he created two years ago after taking office.
After touring the Schenectady plant, Obama highlighted the company's expansion in the region, which he said benefited from tax breaks extended in the recent tax compromise and his administration's trade deals with nations like China and India.
"For America to compete around the world, we need to export more goods around the world," he said. "This is how we go from an economy that was powered by what we borrow and what we consume. … We want an economy that is fueled by what we invent and what we build."
