Obama: Faster payments to small contractors

The president urged Congress to pass his debt reduction proposal.

President Barack Obama said on Sept. 8 the government can help struggling small-business contractors by simply sending out its payments quickly.

“If you’re a small business owner who has a contract with the federal government, we’re going to make sure you get paid a lot faster than you do right now,” Obama said in his address to a joint session of Congress.

The White House plans to announce soon how it will send out checks faster. Officials didn't say when they would make the announcement.

Obama also charged his CIO Steve VanRoekel and CTO Aneesh Chopra to set up a one-stop, online portal for small businesses to easily access government services. He wants the website up in three months.

Obama laid out his American Jobs Act and urged Congress to pass the legislation. Read more about his legislation.