Obama plans post-Labor Day jobs push

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Right after Labor Day, President Obama will speak to the nation about the labor situation, a senior administration official told CNN on Wednesday.

The president plans to deliver a speech about a package of new initiatives designed to grow the economy and create jobs, then he'll spend the fall pushing Congress to pass those measures, the official said.

The Obama administration has not finalized that package, but it's likely to include some tax cuts, infrastructure ideas that could create jobs, and measures targeting the long-term unemployed and specific struggling economic sectors, the official said. (Read: Is payroll tax break a good idea?)

According to the official, the White House has been actively consulting with experts, including CEOs, as it formulates proposals for creating jobs.

The unemployment rate in July was 9.1%, with about 14 million Americans out of work. The unemployment rate has not been below 8.8% since March, 2009, two months into Obama's presidency, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The president told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday that external factors such as the Japan tsunami, the European debt crisis and rising gas prices caused by the unrest in North Africa and the Middle East have been an impediment to job growth.

And, he says, unemployment could have been worse without his administration's actions.

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"The truth is, everything we have done has been related to jobs, starting back with the Recovery Act," Obama told Blitzer, referring to the 2009 stimulus package. "And that's the reason why we have seen over two million jobs created over the last 17 months in the private sector."

In addition, Obama plans to attack the country's sluggish economy via another avenue. The president also will present a plan to the Congressional super committee charged with devising a vision for debt reduction.

The official said the president will offer a detailed deficit reduction package that goes beyond the $1.5 trillion mandate of the committee. It would not only fully cover the cost of the jobs and growth measures, but also achieve additional balanced deficit reduction, the official said.

-- CNN's Chief White House Correspondent Jessica Yellin contributed to this report