In an interview last week with the Columbus Dispatch, Gov. Ted Strickland (D) dismissed a letter from seven Ohio members of Congress again urging the creation of an independent bipartisan panel to ensure Ohio’s “stimulus” dollars are spent effectively and transparently as a “political document.”
“These are essential, vital resources, they are being spent in an open, honest, transparent manner, and, quite frankly, the letter that I received from some of the Republican representatives from Ohio I think was a political document rather than an honest inquiry into how resources are being used,” the governor said.
While Gov. Strickland cries “politics” and uses words like “open, honest and transparent,” to describe the “stimulus,” he turns a blind eye to the facts. Let’s not forget that to date nearly 150,000 Ohioans have lost their jobs in the nine-months since the “stimulus” was passed. And now, to make matters worse, news outlets have uncovered numerous reports of waste, fraud and incompetence in Ohio’s “stimulus” tracking, including the crediting of funds to ten non-existent Ohio Congressional Districts, and claims of “jobs saved” at Columbus Public Schools that school officials later said “definitely wouldn't have been lost in the first place, and others might not have been lost at all.”
As similar reports pour in from across the country, Americans are starting to see the “stimulus” for what it truly is. In an editorial today, the Chicago Tribune called “stimulus” employment claims a “snow job,” and had this to say about the “yawning gap between stimulus claim and stimulus reality.”
“Trying to measure if a job has been ‘saved’ by a federal windfall is like trying to find the pea in a shell game. Chances are you're going to be fooled. If the money covered a worker's paycheck for a few weeks, is that a job saved? No. But let's count it anyway!
Administration officials say they're scrambling to fix the problems. But their credibility on the impact of stimulus spending at this point has been badly wounded.
Actually, you can precisely measure it: 0.”
In response to these serious concerns, Congressman Boehner and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) today wrote Vice President Joe Biden asking ”that the Administration cease public use of the inaccurate jobs ‘created or saved’ metric and instead focus efforts on lowering the unemployment rate.”
At a time when Ohio’s unemployment rate is 10.5 percent, Ohio’s struggling families and small businesses need to know their leaders are working together on fiscally responsible solutions to create jobs immediately and get our economy moving again.
Regrettably, while crying “politics” and standing up for out-of-touch Democrats in Washington, Gov. Strickland again turned down a golden opportunity to roll up his sleeves and get to work with Ohio leaders on building brighter future for our great state.
Congressman John Boehner filmed the following web video last week in response an analysis by nonpartisan, independent experts at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requested by House Ways & Means Ranking Republican Dave Camp (R-MI) on Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-CA) health care bill. The report unequivocally shows that Speaker Pelosis bill would raise national health care costs not lower them as the Speaker and House Democrats have asserted by $289 billion if it were enacted.
Boehner Says:
"In the lead up to a vote in Congress on her health care bill, Speaker Pelosi claimed her bill would provide affordability to the middle class, security to our seniors, and responsibility to our children by not adding a dime to the deficit.
"On Friday, the Obama Administration released a troubling analysis by independent, non-partisan experts at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) showing just how far from the truth Speaker Pelosis claims actually are.
"This report once again discredits Democrats assertions that their $1.3 trillion government takeover of health care will lower costs, and it confirms that this bill violates President Obamas promise to bend the cost curve. Its now beyond dispute that their bill will raise costs, which is exactly what the American people dont want.
"It is also clear that the $500 billion in Medicare cuts in Speaker Pelosis bill will have a drastic impact on senior citizens. In fact, after reading the CMS study the Washington Post reported that cuts will be so costly to hospitals and nursing homes that they could stop taking Medicare altogether.
"It doesnt have to be this way. Democrats should scrap their current proposal and work in a bipartisan way on a plan to lower costs and increase access at a price tag our nation can afford.
"Find out more about Republican plans for significant, bipartisan reform at Healthcare.gop.gov. Thank you."
During a radio interview yesterday with Mike McConnell on WLW (Cincinnati), Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) discussed his recent efforts to lower health care costs, keep terrorists out of America, and defend the Motto and Pledge of Allegiance. Following are excerpts from the audio. To listen to the interview in its entirety, click here.
Boehner Says Republican Health Care Plan Gives Americans What They Want: Lower Health Care Costs, Greater Access To Affordable High-Quality Care
“The Republican plan says ‘hey listen, we have the best health care system in the world. Eighty-three percent of Americans like the plan they have; 80 percent think they pay too much. So why don’t we first drive down the costs of health care, let’s look at those cost drivers, and as we make it more affordable, more Americans will be able to have access to high-quality affordable health care insurance.’”
Democrats’ Irresponsible “Doc Fix” Nothing More Than Payback Boehner Says
“We are going to have a whale of a fight over this ‘doc fix.’ It ought to be done responsibly; they are doing it in an irresponsible manner. This same bill was brought up in the Senate about a month and a half ago. Forty Republican Senators – all of them – voted no and 13 Democrat Senators voted no. This bill is going nowhere, but this is the payoff. Nancy Pelosi made a deal with the AMA for their endorsement of her health care bill so that she would bring this thing up. It’s a joke. I’m hopeful that we can defeat this today. I think there are enough reasonable people in the house – Democrats and Republicans – who have enough courage to stand up and say ‘listen I want to fix this but I’m not going to lay the cost on my kids and grandkids.’”
Boehner Says Trying Terrorists In U.S. Court System Will Air Sensitive Tactics And Undercut Intelligence Officials On The Front Lines Keeping Americans Safe
“These people should not be brought to the United States, they are not common criminals they are war criminals, and they ought to be tried in a military tribunal. To bring them to the United States is going to subject us to potential attacks from their friends. When they come into the United States they are given the rights of every U.S. citizen, and when you start to look at these potential trials, our intelligence officials are clearly going to be called to the stand, and be put in a position where our tactics, our practices, how we gather information is likely to be disclosed, and it undercuts our intelligence officials who are out on the front lines defending America’s freedom and keeping Americans safe.”
In The Fight Over The Motto And Pledge Of Allegiance In The Capitol Visitors Center, Boehner Says ‘I Am Going To Be On The Side Of God And Our Country’
“Most Americans believe we are one country under God. It has been part of our heritage. We were founded as a Christian nation and we respect everyone’s religion.
There is absolutely no reason why these words should not continue to exist in our Capitol. We aren’t going to lose this fight. In the Pledge of Allegiance, we make it clear, “One Nation Under God.” If you look at the Speaker’s rostrum in the U.S. House, right above it, ”One Nation Under God.” It’s right there behind the Speaker’s chair, and it’s been there since 1856 when the current House chamber was built.”
A lot has been made of the non-existent congressional district in Arizona that the White House claimed received “stimulus” money. So today, we went to Recovery.gov to find out how the state of Ohio - a state with 18 congressional districts - fared. Guess what we found: TEN congressional districts in the Buckeye State that DO NOT exist received stimulus money. Take a look below:
In fact, Ohio has never had more than 24 Members of Congress.
Not soon after the “stimulus” was signed into law in February of this year, stories about “stimulus” funds going to to Wisconsin for a bridge to Rusty’s Backwater Saloon; to North Carolina where “stimulus” funds were reportedly used by one town to hire a new worker whose job is to apply for more “stimulus” funds from Washington; to pay for bonuses for AIG executives, a turtle crossing in northern Florida, install skylights in Montana’s state-run liquor warehouse - and on and on and on.
Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) said in a statement to the Cleveland Plain Dealer today:
Not only has the ’stimulus’ not produced jobs the Administration promised, but now we learn that the Administration’s reports intended to track the effectiveness of government spending are riddled with errors and gross inaccuracies. How many more mistakes have been made? How are Ohioans supposed to take the Administration seriously on the economy when its own Web site credits jobs saved or created in districts that don’t even exist?
The latest example - claiming credit for creating jobs in Ohio Congressional districts that don’t even exist - is just one more sign the “stimulus” isn’t working.
All year long, Republicans have asked the Obama Administration this basic question: What is the Administration’s overarching strategy to confront and defeat the terrorist threat? To date, the Obama Administration has refused to answer.
Despite Americans’ strong opposition to importing terrorists held at the Guantanamo Bay prison into the United States, the Obama Administration continues to move forward with their dangerous plans to do so anyway. Over the last three days, the Administration has signaled that it will not only bring 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other 9/11 conspirators to New York City for trial in civilian federal court, rather than continuing their military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay, but it also is proposing to house Guantanamo terrorists at a prison in Illinois.
House Republicans from Illinois strongly oppose importing these terrorists – men who have made the destruction of America their central focus – into their state. Politico reports on their efforts to block this move and stand up for the American people:
“Illinois Republicans continued their barrage Monday against moving Guantanamo detainees to their state, unveiling legislation that seeks to slow President Barack Obama’s movement to ship terrorist suspects onto U.S. soil.”
“[Rep. Mark] Kirk – along with Illinois Republican Reps. Peter Roskam, Judy Biggert and Don Mazzulo, Tim Johnson, John Shimkus and Aaron Schock – expressed concern about ‘increased attention from the Jihadist world’ that would be paid to Chicago, including the potential that terrorists would be traveling through O’Hare International Airport en route to visiting the detainees.’”
How will trying these terrorists in civilian court, rather than military tribunals, ensure that justice is done for the families of 9/11 victims? Homeland Security Committee Ranking Republican Peter King (R-NY) explained in a New York Post op-ed why this decision puts the interest of liberal, special-interest groups ahead of safety and security of the American people:
“While it may be hailed by Europeans, the ACLU and the far-left-wing of the Democratic Party, the president's action actually threatens American lives and weakens US national security.”
“By transferring KSM and four of his fellow conspirators from the impenetrable detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to lower Manhattan, the president creates an enormous, unnecessary terror risk to the people who already live and work downtown.”
The American people are firmly opposed to importing terrorists. According to a Gallup survey released this summer, “By more than 3-1, [those surveyed] oppose moving some of the accused terrorists housed there to prisons in their own states.” A survey from Rasmussen confirmed this report.
In short, both the Gallup and Rasmussen surveys show that 75 percent of Americans want to keep terrorists out of America. That’s why House Republicans have introduced the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act (H.R. 2294), legislation aimed at stopping the importation of terrorists held at the Guantanamo Bay prison by:
• Affirming Congress’ opposition to transferring or releasing terrorists held at the Guantanamo Bay prison into the United States.
• Prohibiting the Administration from transferring or releasing any terrorist detainees at Guantanamo Bay to any state without express approval from the state’s governor and legislature, and certification to Congress that strict requirements have been met.
• Prohibiting the President from transferring or releasing a terrorist detainee into the United States without fulfilling strict congressional notification and certification requirements.
Where do House Democrats stand on this issue, and will they join with most of the American people and oppose importing these dangerous terrorists? Will they schedule a vote on the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act? The decisions by the White House are further evidence it is reverting to a dangerous pre-9/11 mentality – treating terrorism as a law enforcement issue and hoping for the best. What America deserves, instead, is a real strategy for fighting and winning the war on America’s terrorist enemies that includes an effective, credible, and consistent plan for all terrorist detainees.
The Obama Administration has announced it will bring Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four of his 9/11 co-conspirators – all terrorists currently imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay — to trial in civilian courts in New York City. To read the unclassified files on these terrorists from the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and Department of Defense (DOD), click HERE.
Also see this from Bill Kristol this morning, relaying the reaction of the sister of 9/11 victim Charles Burlingame, the pilot of American Airlines Flight 77:
Today Attorney General Eric Holder will announce that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and several of his fellow 9/11 co-conspirators will be brought to New York City and tried in federal court. No doubt the Attorney General will invoke the phrase, ‘Swift and certain justice.’ This is a sham. There will be nothing swift and nothing certain about it.
The trial will be a travesty. The prosecutors at the Southern and Eastern Districts fought over these career-making cases like vultures at a kill. But who will be the vulture? In open court, it will be Khalid Shiek Mohammed who will hold forth, mocking his victims, exulting in the suffering of their families, ridiculing the judge, his lawyers and the American justice system, and worst of all, rallying his jihadi brothers to kill more Americans as the men and women of the US military risk their lives in the mountains of Afghanistan and the sands of Iraq. All, just blocks from where 20,000 body parts were dug out of the rubble of the Twin Towers.
Remember KSM’s famous opening line when he was grabbed in Rawalpindi? ‘I’ll talk to you guys after I get to New York and see my lawyer.’ Thanks to the Obama admnistration, it looks like he’ll get his wish. And he’ll do his best-with the help of this top-drawer lawyers and much of the media-to make the real defendants at the trial the CIA interrogators-and the American government.
How will this help achieve what our president claims he wants to achieve-‘restoring respect for America’? Is that what he really wants?
In a statement this morning, Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) called the Administration’s actions “irresponsible” and commented:
These men are part of a global terrorist network dedicated to attacking America and civilization itself, and on that awful day nine years ago, they succeeded in killing nearly 3,000 innocent men, women, and children. These terrorists were already being tried by military commissions, which were specifically designed to prosecute such heinous acts. This decision is further evidence that the White House is reverting to a dangerous pre-9/11 mentality - treating terrorism as a law enforcement issue and hoping for the best. We need a real strategy for fighting and winning the war on America’s terrorist enemies that includes an effective, credible, and consistent plan for all terrorist detainees.
Nothing is more important than protecting the American people. That’s why earlier this year, House Republicans introduced H.R. 2294, the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act, which would stop the transfer or release of terrorists held at the Guantanamo Bay prison into the United States. The legislation unequivocally opposes releasing terrorists from the Guantanamo Bay facility and transferring them to the United States, makes clear that governors and state legislatures must pre-approve the transfer or release of any terrorist detainee into their respective states, and requires the Administration to meet strict criteria and certification standards before terrorists housed at the Guantanamo prison could be brought to the United States.
With the Administration’s irresponsible actions today, the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act is more necessary than ever.
During a radio interview yesterday with Leland Conway on WLAP (Lexington, KY), Congressman John Boehner discussed the American peoples’ growing frustration with Washington Democrats’ jobs-killing agenda that includes a massive government takeover of health care, a national energy tax and a trillion dollar “stimulus” that isn’t creating jobs. Following are excerpts from the audio. To listen to the interview in its entirety, click here.
Boehner on Speaker Pelosi’s $1.3 trillion government takeover of health care
“Well I just think this is one of the more bizarre things I’ve seen in Washington over the 19 years I’ve been here. This giant bureaucracy is going to create 111 new programs and it will require tens of thousands of new federal employees. It is going to increase taxes, increase the national debt and increase insurance premiums for the American people who are already paying too much for their health insurance.”
Citing the rising national unemployment rate, Boehner says ‘stimulus’ isn’t working
“I couldn’t have had a nightmare as bad as this year has turned out to be. The stimulus bill was supposed to be about jobs, jobs, jobs, and it turned into nothing more than a big bunch of government spending that has done nothing to produce jobs. Remember the president said we wouldn’t see unemployment above 8 percent, now we are at 10.2 percent. He said we would have jobs immediately, yet more than 3 million Americans have lost their jobs since this bill was signed into law.”
Boehner says majority party is over-reaching with jobs-killing agenda
“They think this is their moment, a moment they’ve been waiting on for the past 30 or 40 years, to shove all of the big government programs into the government and stick the American people with them. Fortunately the American people are speaking up and saying
The Administration famously claimed that Speaker Pelosi’s $1 trillion “stimulus” would “save or create 4 million jobs” and keep the unemployment rate below 8 percent - but with the unemployment rate currently at 10.2 percent and 15.7 million Americans without work, it’s clear that the “stimulus” isn’t working. The following chart produced by the Ways and Means Committee Republican staff demonstrates just how far Democrats missed the mark on their “stimulus” program:
In New England, the Boston Globe reported this weekend that: “[Massachusetts] is pushing through a plan to spend $9 million in federal stimulus money to build a walking bridge connecting parking lots on either side of Route 1 near Gillette Stadium. The lots belong to Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, who is tied for number 468 on Forbes Magazine’s list of the world’s billionaires.”
In the Mid Atlantic, Saturday’s Washington Post reported that “Nine months after Congress passed the $787 billion stimulus package, there is little tangible to show for one of its biggest single areas of investment, the $25 billion energy-efficiency effort.” The Post noted that the “energy-efficiency effort” has “so far not produced a single job.”
And out West, today’s Denver Post found that Colorado inflated the number of jobs “created” by the “stimulus” by “at least 1,000 jobs.” The Post detailed the extent of the fraud, including:
Two child-development centers - one in Colorado Springs and the other in Saguache County - reported they had created or saved more than 292 jobs combined. However, the money - totaling about $650,000, or $2,226 a job - was used to give employees cost- of-living raises. Only three new jobs were created.
Yet the Administration continues to claim that the “stimulus” is working. The Los Angeles Times recently noted that “[t]he vice president said that the administration’s efforts…are responsible for creating or saving more than 640,000 jobs directly and hundreds of thousands of additional jobs to bring the total to more than 1 million.” Vice President Biden has also said that “In my wildest dreams, I never thought [the ‘stimulus’] would work this well.”
The numbers tell a different story. Seven months after the “stimulus” was signed into law, 49 of 50 States have lost jobs - and the Wall Street Journal recently reported, “More than a third of the nation’s unemployed - 35.6 percent - have been out of work long-term, defined by the Labor Department as a period of 27 weeks or more - the highest proportion since World War II.” The Journal noted in another story that the “broadest measure of unemployment produced by the government,” known as U-6, “stood at 17.5 percent in October, from 17.0 percent the month before, and shows the underlying nature of hiring in the U.S. is pretty bleak.”
Americans are hurting - and yet out-of-touch Democrats aren’t doing anything to stimulate small businesses, who traditionally create between 60-80 percent of new jobs. Unfortunately, small businesses don’t think Democrats’ policies are making things better, as Market Watch reported today: “small-business owners haven’t seen much improvement in the U.S. economy and more are expected to cut jobs instead of adding them over the next three months.” In fact, small businesses “have accounted for about 45 percent of net job losses” in the current recession, according to Dennis Lockhart, President of Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
Perhaps the Lima News put it best in a recent editorial:
Industries are loath to invest because of the uncertainties of Washington’s proposed taxes and penalties in pending health-care and global-warming legislation. Rather than take money from real job creators to throw at doubtful job-creation and -saving programs, Washington should back off further economy-dampening proposals that penalize employers.
Republicans agree - which is why they’ll continue to oppose the Democrats’ job-killing agenda and fight for better solutions on job creation, health care, and energy. It’s time to get our economy moving again by helping small businesses and entrepreneurs, not government bureaucrats and pencil-pushers in Washington, D.C.
On Saturday night, at the close of the debate on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) 2,032-page, $1.3 trillion government takeover of health care, Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) rose to speak about the bill and its impact on future generations and the American Dream.
Saying the bill would “dim the light of freedom and diminish opportunity for future generations,” Boehner spoke about how the bill would increase costs, add to our skyrocketing debt with a massive new federal bureaucracy, destroy jobs with tax hikes and new mandates, and cut seniors’ Medicare benefits. He spoke about how Americans are asking ‘where are the jobs’ but all they get from out-of-touch Washington Democrats is more spending, more debt, and more government. And he spoke about Republicans’ better solutions to lower costs and expand access to quality care – especially for those with pre-existing conditions – without adding to the crushing debt Washington has placed on our children and grandchildren.
On the House floor today during debate on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s bill to impose a government takeover of health care, Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) challenged the three Democratic committee chairmen with jurisdiction over the bill to pledge that they will vote to keep a pro-life amendment authored by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) in the bill during House-Senate conference negotiations if the Pelosi bill is approved today with the Stupak amendment attached. Disappointingly, all three Democratic chairmen have refused to guarantee they will oppose efforts to strip the Stupak language from the bill in conference committee. As Robert Costa observed accurately this evening in a post entitled “Three Strikes” on National Review’s “Doctor! Doctor!” blog, “Now the GOP strategy is clear: make the Dems never forget Stupak if PelosiCare passes tonight.”
Here is a chronology of Leader Boehner’s exchanges with the Democratic committee chairmen throughout the day:
2:35 PM: Chairman Waxman Won’t Guarantee That Speaker Pelosi’s Final Health Bill Will Include Stupak Anti-Abortion Language
In an exchange this afternoon on the House Floor, Congressman Boehner asked Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) if he would guarantee abortion opponents that Rep. Bart Stupak’s (D-MI) amendment barring federal funding of abortion in Speaker Pelosi’s government takeover of health care will not be jettisoned from the bill by Democratic congressional leaders in House-Senate conference negotiations if the Pelosi bill passes the House with the Stupak amendment attached.
Chairman Waxman’s answer? “No guarantee can be made by me or any other Member at this time.”
Video and a transcript of the exchange follow:
BOEHNER: “I want to ask the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Waxman, whether he can guarantee me that if the House does vote in fact for Mr. Stupak’s amendment, the gentleman will guarantee me that when this bill comes back from conference that that language will remain in the bill?”WAXMAN: “As the gentleman well knows, the decision is not up to one person. It will be up to the conferees and the conferees will have to be meeting with the Senate conferees in going over a number of positions but if this amendment is adopted by the House, it will be the House position as we go into conference. We will have to discuss it further. We will have to discuss it further and then see what the result is. No guarantee can be made by me or any other Member at this time.”
4:45PM: Chairman Rangel Won’t Guarantee That Speaker Pelosi’s Final Health Bill Will Include Stupak Anti-Abortion Language
In an exchange during debate over in Speaker Pelosi’s government takeover of health care, Congressman Boehner asked Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-NY) if he would guarantee abortion opponents that Rep. Bart Stupak’s (D-MI) amendment barring federal funding of abortion will not be jettisoned from the bill by Democratic congressional leaders in House-Senate conference negotiations if the Pelosi bill passes the House with the Stupak amendment attached.
The answer was similar to the one Chairman Waxman gave earlier. Chairman Rangel said: “We have no idea that you would expect that a member…that you expect me on this floor in front of all my friends and colleagues to guarantee you anything.”
Video and a transcript of the exchange follow:
BOEHNER: “One of the issues in the underlying bill allows for taxpayer funding of abortions. And the leadership of the Majority party did see fit to allow Mr. Stupak from Michigan and others to offer an Amendment that would restore what has been a 30-year effort that no taxpayer funds should be used And if that amendment were to pass, Mr. Rangel, do I have your guarantee that when this bill comes back from committee that if the house does, in fact, pass the Stupak language outlawing taxpayer funding for abortion, will you guarantee me that it will be in the bill?” RANGEL: “You have been here long enough to truly understand how our system works. As soon as we pass this bill, then we would expect the Democratic-controlled senate to pass their bill….We have no idea that you would expect that a member…that you expect me on this floor in front of all my friends and colleagues to guarantee you anything.”
7:20 PM: Chairman Miller Won’t Guarantee That Speaker Pelosi’s Final Health Bill Will Include Stupak Anti-Abortion Language
This evening, Congerssman Boehner again took to the floor to ask Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA) if he would guarantee abortion opponents that Rep. Bart Stupak’s (D-MI) amendment barring federal funding of abortion will not be jettisoned from the bill by Democratic congressional leaders in House-Senate conference negotiations if the Pelosi bill passes the House with the Stupak amendment attached.
Chairman Miller’s answer - “I will not guarantee that” - makes him the third Democratic Chairman today to refuse to guarantee that the Democratic Leadership would support Rep. Stupak’s pro-life amendment if it passes the House and makes it into conference.
Video and a transcript of the exchange follow:
BOEHNER: “If the House is to pass the Stupak amendment and this bill is to pass tonight and there is a vote in the conference committee on this issue, would you guarantee me that you will support the House-passed bill?”
The answers follow: MILLER: “I will NOT guarantee that.”
