WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is promoting new ways to help veterans find jobs in a tough economy while pressing Congress to approve tax credits for businesses to hire former members of the military.

Just ahead of Veterans' Day, Obama plans to meet Monday with leading veterans' groups, then discuss steps his administration is taking to help veterans who have struggled to find work. The president was to speak from the White House Rose Garden Monday at noon.

The actions are part of a larger effort by the White House to draw contrasts with congressional Republicans who have opposed Obama's jobs legislation a year before the 2012 election. Obama has signed executive orders aimed at spurring job growth and helping homeowners and college students in recent weeks, saying he does not want to wait for Congress to act.