SCOTT COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Joe Tremell has been out of work for 18-months. He was laid off from a manufacturing job he held for 26-years. "They closed down, of course," Tremell said.

He's not alone. The jobless rate in Scott County is nearly 20%, the highest in Tennessee. President Obama hopes to change that with a robust jobs plan.

"There are steps we can take right now to improve the economy," the President said. Like extending unemployment benefits for people like Tremell.

"It gets me by, barely pay my bills, but I get by. You don't have any money left," said Tremell.

The President also proposes new infrastucture spending which could fill millions of construction jobs. "Yes, I'm looking to going into construction," Tremell said.

"It will provide a jolt to an economy that is stalled," President Obama told a joint session of Congress.

Without adding to the national debt, according to the president. Of course, a divided Congress has to approve the plan.

"Get down to business," Tremell said to Congress.