30 August 2010 Last updated at 14:08 ET

Obama demands Republicans pass small businesses bill

President Obama: "This bill has been languishing in the Senate for months. That makes no sense"

US President Barack Obama has attacked Senate Republicans for blocking a bill aimed at helping small businesses.

"Unfortunately [the bill] has been languishing in the Senate for four months, held up by a partisan minority that won't even let it go to a vote. That makes no sense," he said.

Mr Obama claimed the bill "pays for itself" and would not add to the deficit.

A third of the Senate faces reelection in November mid-term elections.

Speaking to press in the White House's Rose Garden, the US president also referred to other ideas for helping the economy, a possible allusion to further stimulus spending measures.

"My economic team is hard at work identifying additional measures that could make a difference in both promoting growth and hiring in the short term and increasing our economy's competitiveness in the long term," he said.