"Unfortunately, this bill has been languishing in the Senate for months, held up by a partisan minority that won't even allow it to go to a vote," he said, speaking to reporters in the Rose Garden. "That makes no sense."

Pounding the lectern, Obama continued: "Holding this bill hostage is directly detrimental to our economic growth. So I ask Senate Republicans to drop the blockade."

The last thing Obama did before leaving Aug. 19 for his 10-day vacation in Martha's Vineyard was call out the GOP for opposing the jobs measure, which he said would cut taxes, make loans more available for small businesses and encourage them to hire, lowering the unemployment rate.

"It's obstruction that defies common sense," Obama said outside the White House at the time.