U.S. President Barack Obama Monday began a campaign-style bus tour of two southern states to promote his economic policies and put pressure on Republicans in Congress to pass at least part of his $447 billion jobs bill

The president is spending three days in North Carolina and Virginia, states that he won in 2008 and are considered important to his re-election chances next year.

At a stop in Asheville, North Carolina, Mr. Obama mocked congressional Republicans, saying “maybe they can not understand the whole thing at once so we're going to break it up into bite-sized pieces.”

Last week, Republicans in the Senate were able to block consideration of the entire jobs bill, arguing that it contained wasteful provisions and tax increases that actually will lead to the loss of jobs.

Among the provisions in the legislation the Senate is likely to consider soon is one that would give states money to hire more teachers, police and firefighters.

The Republicans are proposing their own jobs plan and a senior Republican senator has suggested that Republicans and Democrats should meet together to see if they could “find a breakthrough.”

In his address, Mr. Obama said the next measure that he wants lawmakers to consider is infrastructure spending to improve roads, bridges and airports.

“There is no reason,” the president said, ” why we should sit here and watch the best highways and the newest airports being built in China.”