President Obama is expected to propose a $300 billion jobs plan on Thursday that relies on tax increases and additional federal spending even though congressional Republicans have unequivocally rejected such proposals before.

“The important factor here is not the top-line number, it is the substance underneath the number,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday, after dodging questions about the $300 billion cost estimate reported by the Associated Press. “The substance here will be a series of measures that should have — and have had in the past — bipartisan support.”