House Republicans pledge quick review of Obama’s jobs bill

In a letter to President Barack Obama, House Republican leaders on Friday pledged to "immediately begin the process of reviewing and considering" the president's jobs package.

Obama unveiled his $447 billion proposal in a televised speech before a joint session of Congress on Thursday. The package includes tax cuts, aid to states and infrastructure spending.

“We look forward to receiving legislative text for any of your ideas in a manner that can be scored by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, and to the upcoming speech you described last night in which you will detail the offsets that will be needed to ensure your proposals are paid for,” Republicans wrote in their letter, adding that they also plan to suggest "modifications and additional ideas that could achieve economic growth."

"We share your desire for bipartisan cooperation," the letter also said," and assume that your ideas were not presented as an all-or-nothing proposition."

The Washington Post reports that, earlier on Friday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi had urged Republicans to take up the legislation quickly.

And the Associated Press adds that the Republicans' letter was far different in tone than comments made earlier in the day by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid:

Announcing plans to begin work on the legislation as soon as possible, the Nevada Democrat offered no timetable, and urged "reasonable Republicans to resist the voices of those who would oppose this legislation — and root for our economy to fail."

Obama, meanwhile, took his proposal on the road Friday, giving a speech at the University of Richmond in Virginia, the first stop in what the White House says will be a sustained campaign to sell his proposal to the public.

"I want you to call, I want you to e-mail, I want you to tweet, I want you to fax, I want you to visit, I want you to Facebook, send a carrier pigeon,” Obama told the crowd in Richmond, according to The New York Times. “I want you to tell your congressperson, ‘The time for gridlock and games is over; the time for action is now."