President Obama is working to bring outsourced jobs back to the U.S

President Obama :with the help of a few household items and a Republican-friendly idea — promised Saturday to make the federal government more pro-business.

The President displayed a padlock, a pair of boots, a candle and a pair of socks — items all made in the United States — and vowed to stem the tide of American business owners outsourcing their jobs.

“I’ll make sure you’ve got a government that does everything in its power to help you succeed,” Obama said in his weekly address.

The President pledged that he would soon unveil a new tax code that would give incentives for companies that bring jobs back from overseas — and eliminate breaks for those that do not.

Obama was vague on the details of the tax reform — saying they would be revealed in the coming weeks — but recent remarks from administration officials indicate that it could be a sweeping change of the nation’s tax code.

That move appears lifted from the Republican playbook, and could provide Obama with a winning election year issue, his advisors hope.

The swipe at businesses who sent jobs overseas has also been interpreted as a subtle jab at Obama’s would-be White House rival Mitt Romney, who oversaw the outsourcing of thousands of jobs during his time in the private sector.

The President also touted his commitment to a more business-friendly government by urging Congress to support his plan to merge a half-dozen federal agencies.

On Friday, Obama said he wanted to merge six trade agencies and eliminate the Commerce Department — a popular target of Republicans on the campaign trail.

But the President’s idea was met with indifference by the Republican leadership, who once again used their weekly response to call for the construction of a controversial oil pipeline.

Senator John Hoeven (R-N.D.) called for Obama to sign off on the $7 billion transcontinental Keystone XL pipeline, which is supported by pro-business groups but opposed by environmental activists.

Obama has yet to make a decision on the hot-button issue, which Hoeven said was indicative of a government bogged down by too much red tape.

“We must empower private investment and create sustainable jobs through private enterprise to lift up our country,” Hoeven said.