Stimulating Hypocrisy: 114 Lawmakers Block Recovery While Taking Credit for Its Success House of Representatives House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) Said Stimulus Funds Would Create “Much Needed Jobs.” Minority Leader Boehner: “The stated intent of the so-called stimulus package was to create jobs, and certainly a $57 million slush-fund studying projects did nothing to achieve that goal. With Ohio’s unemployment rate the highest it’s been in 25 years, I’m pleased that federal officials stepped in to order Ohio to use all of its construction dollars for shovel-ready projects that will create much-needed jobs.” *Boehner Statement, 6/15/09+ -Congressman Boehner Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70] -Congressman Boehner Regularly Blasts The Stimulus And Instructed His Caucus To Oppose It. [Huffington Post, 1/27/09] Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) Held A Job Fair Where Nearly Half The 30 Organizations Received Stimulus Funds; Cantor Also Supported Using Stimulus Funds To Build A Washington To Richmond Rail. Washington Post: “For months, Democrats have dubbed U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia a hypocrite for strongly opposing the federal stimulus package only to promote aspects of it later. Here’s the latest example: Nearly half of the 30 organizations participating in a job fair Cantor is holding Monday in Culpeper were recipients of the stimulus…In the summer, Cantor came under fire after he talked about his support of using stimulus money to build a rail project from Washington to Richmond.” [Washington Post Virginia Blog, 11/18/09] - Congressman Eric Cantor Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70] Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) Took Credit For $35 Million In Stimulus Highway Funds. According to ThinkProgress, McMorris Rodgers released a statement taking credit for $35 million dollars in stimulus highway money. The House GOP website featured the McMorris Rodgers release on the one year anniversary of the stimulus. [TP, 2/18/10]
-Congressman Boehner Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70] - Congressman Eric Cantor Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote #70] -Congressman Boehner Regularly Blasts The Stimulus And Instructed His Caucus To Oppose It. [Huffington Post, 1/27/09]
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Transcript
Stimulating Hypocrisy: 114 Lawmakers Block
Recovery While Taking Credit for Its Success
House of Representatives
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) Said Stimulus Funds Would Create “Much Needed Jobs.”
Minority Leader Boehner: “The stated intent of the so-called stimulus package was to create jobs, and
certainly a $57 million slush-fund studying projects did nothing to achieve that goal. With Ohio’s
unemployment rate the highest it’s been in 25 years, I’m pleased that federal officials stepped in to
order Ohio to use all of its construction dollars for shovel-ready projects that will create much-needed
jobs.” *Boehner Statement, 6/15/09+
-Congressman Boehner Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call
Vote #70]
-Congressman Boehner Regularly Blasts The Stimulus And Instructed His Caucus To Oppose It.
[Huffington Post, 1/27/09]
Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) Held A Job Fair Where Nearly Half The 30 Organizations Received
Stimulus Funds; Cantor Also Supported Using Stimulus Funds To Build A Washington To Richmond Rail.
Washington Post: “For months, Democrats have dubbed U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia a hypocrite
for strongly opposing the federal stimulus package only to promote aspects of it later. Here’s the
latest example: Nearly half of the 30 organizations participating in a job fair Cantor is holding Monday
in Culpeper were recipients of the stimulus…In the summer, Cantor came under fire after he talked
about his support of using stimulus money to build a rail project from Washington to Richmond.”
[Washington Post Virginia Blog, 11/18/09]
- Congressman Eric Cantor Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call
Vote #70]
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) Took Credit For $35 Million In Stimulus Highway Funds.
According to ThinkProgress, McMorris Rodgers released a statement taking credit for $35 million
dollars in stimulus highway money. The House GOP website featured the McMorris Rodgers release
on the one year anniversary of the stimulus. [TP, 2/18/10]
- Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46;
Roll Call Vote #70]
Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) Issued Pres Releases Bragging About Bringing Stimulus Jobs To His District.
On July 28th, Kingston’s press office fired off two releases bragging about a $106,901 grant for the
Alma Police Department and a $138,286 grant for the Jesup Police Department in Georgia. These
grants, distributed by the Department of Justice for the “hiring of new police officers, to combat
violence against women, and to fight Internet crimes against children,” were fully-funded by President
Obama’s Recovery Act. [Think Progress, 8/4/09]
- Congressman Kingston Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call
Vote #70]
Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-CA) Claimed Credit For Stimulus Grants In His District. According to the Ventura
County Star, “another $8 million in federal money could be flowing into Ventura County through the
new federal stimulus package and a separate spending bill that cleared the House this week. Rep.
Elton Gallegly, R-Simi Valley, announced Thursday that Thousand Oaks will get $182,881 in
community development block grants through the stimulus package and that Camarillo will receive
$96,075.” *Ventura County Star, 2/27/09]
- Congressman Gallegly Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call
Vote #70]
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) Claimed Credit For Highway Stimulus Funds He Voted Against. The Iowa blog
Bleeding Heartland reported: “King’s office issued an upbeat statement about $570,000 included in
the economic stimulus bill that will go toward widening U.S. Highway 20 in a rural area of northwest
Iowa. Of course, the statement did not mention that King voted against the stimulus. Nor did the brief
news item in the Sioux City Journal.” *Bleeding Heartland, 3/14/09+
- Congressman King Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote
#70]
Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA) Working To ‘Channel’ Recovery Act Funds To New Orleans. Rep. Joseph Cao (R-
LA) is now working to bring Recovery Act money into his district. Last week, the Times-Picayune
reported that Cao has been meeting with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Transportation Secretary
Ray LaHood to apply to “use stimulus money for additional streetcar expansions and road repairs.”
Cao boasted that he is now working to “channel” the money that he opposed to his district. *Think
Progress, 8/3/09]
- Congressman Cao Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote
#70]
-Congressman Cao Initially Indicated That He Would Vote For the Stimulus, Before Succumbing To
GOP Arm-Twisting. [Think Progress, 8/3/09]
Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH) Quietly Asked For Stimulus Funds For Her Constituents. According to the
Wall Street Journal, while Schmidt called for “recalling” the stimulus, she was quietly sending letters
to the federal government asking “for consideration of *stimulus+ funding requests from local
organizations training workers for energy-efficiency projects.” *WSJ, 2/16/10+
- Congresswoman Schmidt Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call
Vote #70]
Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN) Wrote Letters Asking For ‘Vital’ For His District. According to letters to
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood from lawmakers requesting highway funds, Buyer asked for
millions in stimulus funds. [Bloomberg, 2/22/10]
- Congressman Buyer Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote
#70]
Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) Called Stimulus Money A ‘Catalyst’ For Jobs. Bloomberg news reported:
“Oklahoma Representative Tom Cole opposed the stimulus a year ago, calling it a ‘recipe for disaster’
instead of a road to recovery. In September, Cole sought funding for a grant to help develop an
international trade center on a 2,700-acre industrial park, a project he called ‘a catalyst for the
potential creation’ of almost 30,000 jobs. ‘It is with pleasure that I write this letter in support of the
Ardmore Development Authority,’ Cole wrote. Cole didn’t comment on the request after a series of e-
mails to his office. [Bloomberg, 2/22/10]
- Congressman Cole Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote
#70]
Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) Said Stimulus Money Is Needed ‘Desperately.’ ThinkProgress reported: “Wolf
(R-VA) is now criticizing Gov. Tim Kaine (D) for being ’slow’ to spend the stimulus money allocated for
Virginia — even though if Wolf and his Republican colleagues would have had their way, there would
be no extra money for the state at all. ‘We could use that money desperately,’ Wolf told reporters.
‘We’re in a critical situation.’” *TP, 10/6/09+
- Congressman Wolf Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote
#70]
Rep. Mary Fallin (R-OK) Requested Army Secretary Use $8.4m in Stimulus Funds for Projects in
Oklahoma. Rep. Mary Fallin (R-OK) — who called the stimulus a “Big Brother spending program” —
asked Army Secretary Pete Geren to use $8.4 million in stimulus money for repairs to buildings at two
Oklahoma National Guard sites. [Think Progress, 8/27/09]
-Congressman Fallin Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote
#70]
Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA) Praised $127.5 million in Stimulus Funds to Sacramento As a Solution To
“Energy, Environmental and National Security Issues.” *Sacramento Bee, 11/28/09+
-Dan Lungren Claimed That The Stimulus Package “Didn’t Work” and Called It A “Terribly Tragedy”.
[DCCC Release, 12/2/09]
-Lungren Appeared At Stimulus-Funding Project Groundbreaking Ceremony, Saying “if there’s one
thing we agree on with this spending package, it is for simple infrastructure.” *DCCC, 12/2/09+
-Congressman Lungren Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote
#70]
Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) Hands Out Giant Stimulus Check In Georgia. Gingrey appeared in the city of
Cedartown, Georgia, to present a giant check of $625,000 in stimulus funds to the city commission to
help fund the the city’s Streetscape project, which will install new sidewalks and infrastructure. *Think
Progress, 10/13/09]
-Congressman Gingrey Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote
#70]
Congressman Mike Coffman (R-CO) Says He Will Advocate For Benefits Of Recovery Package Despite
Opposition. During a segment with KUSA-TV, Rep. Coffman said: “I see myself in two roles as a
congressman. I think the first role as a policymaker in Washington and the second as an advocate for
people inside this district and there are elements we’ll probably be discussing – the mortgage
proposal – there are probably elements that I disagree with that but if there’s somebody in my district
eligible for that, I’ll fight to make sure they get them.” Coffman goes on to say, “I certainly supported
infrastructure spending because it creates direct jobs in the private sector, clearly I support tax
relief…it still puts money into the economy.” *KUSA-TV, 2/22/09]
-Congressman Coffman Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call
Vote #70]
-Congressman Coffman Attacked The Recovery Package, Stating: “I Think It’s Going To Have The
Reverse Effect That It’s Intended To Have.” *CBS4, 2/2/09]
Congressman Dave Reichert (R-WA) Acknowledged Recovery Package Will Deliver Good News For
District. The Boston Globe reported: “Reichert acknowledges that the stimulus bill will deliver tangible
good news to his constituents… ‘I feel a responsibility at this point to make this still work.’” *Boston
Globe, 2/24/09]
-Congressman Reichert Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote
#70]
-Congressman Reichert Attacked The Recovery Package, Declaring
It To Be Spending That “Won’t Create Jobs.” *McClatchy, 2/13/09+
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) Praised Stimulus Funding For Local Courthouse. According to a document
published by ABC News, McCarthy praised $31 million in stimulus funds for a Bakersfield courthouse.
[McCarthy Press Release, 3/31/09; accessed by ABC News]
-Congressman McCarthy Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call
Vote #70]
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) Wrote Letters In Support For Stimulus Money. Blue Ridge Business Journal
reported: “NTELOS Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: NTLS), a leading provider of wireless and wireline
communications services (branded as NTELOS) in Virginia and West Virginia, is pleased to announce
that it will be able to accept a $16 million federal broadband stimulus award.” The article noted that
NTELOS won the award because Goodlatte endorsed the project and wrote letters of support. [BRBJ,
2/15/10]
-Congressman Goodlatte Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call
Vote #70]
Rep. Bill Young (R-FL) Encourages Constituents To ‘Take Advantage’ Of Stimulus Money He Tried To
Kill. ThinkProgress reported that Young “now lists various links on his website to help his constituents
‘take advantage of the federal stimulus money.’” *TP, 8/27/09+
-Congressman Young Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote
#70]
Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) Signed A Letter Requesting Stimulus Funds For Illinois Community Colleges.
According to a release from the Illinois Community College Trustees Association, every member of the
Illinois congressional delegation signed a letter urging Gov. Pat Quinn to provide “Recovery Act
(ARRA) funding to expand the Illinois Community College Sustainability Network.” [ICCSN, 4/14/09]
-Congressman Kirk Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote
#70]
Rep. Don Manzullo (R-IL) Signed A Letter Requesting Stimulus Funds For Illinois Community Colleges.
According to a release from the Illinois Community College Trustees Association, every member of the
Illinois congressional delegation signed a letter urging Gov. Pat Quinn to provide “Recovery Act
(ARRA) funding to expand the Illinois Community College Sustainability Network.” *ICCSN, 4/14/09]
-Congressman Manzullo Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call
Vote #70]
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) Requested $95 Million In Stimulus Money. The Salt Lake Tribune reported:
“All four of Utah’s Republicans in Congress voted against the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act earlier this year, and all of them then used congressional stationary in an attempt to nab stimulus
cash for the state. [...] Sen. Orrin Hatch and Reps. Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz sent the Interior
Department a letter on behalf of the Provo River Water Users Association seeking $95 million in funds,
while Matheson pushed for money for national parks in Utah.” *SLT, 10/4/09+
-Congressman Chaffetz Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote
#70]
Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT) Requested $95 Million In Stimulus Money. The Salt Lake Tribune reported: “All
four of Utah’s Republicans in Congress voted against the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
earlier this year, and all of them then used congressional stationary in an attempt to nab stimulus
cash for the state. [...] Sen. Orrin Hatch and Reps. Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz sent the Interior
Department a letter on behalf of the Provo River Water Users Association seeking $95 million in funds,
while Matheson pushed for money for national parks in Utah.” *SLT, 10/4/09+
-Congressman Bishop Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote
#70]
Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) Signed A Letter Requesting Stimulus Funds For Illinois Community Colleges.
According to a release from the Illinois Community College Trustees Association, every member of the
Illinois congressional delegation signed a letter urging Gov. Pat Quinn to provide “Recovery Act
(ARRA) funding to expand the Illinois Community College Sustainability Network.” *ICCSN, 4/14/09+
-Congressman Roskam Voted Against The Recovery Package Twice [Roll Call Vote #46; Roll Call Vote
#70]
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) Took Credit For Police Officer Hiring Funded By The Stimulus. According to a
Scalise press release, the congressman took credit for JAG grants to cities in Southeast Louisiana, like
Gretna. In the Scalise release, he claimed he was “fighting” for those funds. But according to a press
release from the city of Gretna, the same funds Scalise touted were funded by the American