Washington, D.C.: Congressman Joe Barton (R-Arlington/Ennis) released the following statement Wednesday after Democrats forced a massive spending bill through the House of Representatives:
“The Democrats pork-filled government spending spree typifies what is wrong with Washington. Calling this an economic stimulus does not make it an economic stimulus. Democrats are filling a long awaited wish list of higher government spending on their favorite social programs that will lay an enormous debt on the backs of our children and grandchildren. Meanwhile, dire economic problems are going unsolved.
All the Democrats are doing is throwing billions of taxpayers’ dollars at social programs. In fact, $136 billion will be spent on brand new, never before funded government programs - none of them really stimulate the economy or create jobs. A prime example is the plan to borrow $600 million to replace cars in the federal fleet.
Congressional Democrats – led by Speaker Pelosi and Harry Reid - want to increase spending on welfare programs instead of making sure people don’t need welfare in the first place. So far those supporting this bill have been unable to explain to me how spending $335 million on education about sexually transmitted diseases or even $300,000 on restoring an outdoor sculpture collection in Miami will stimulate the economy. In fact only 7% of this $1 trillion stimulus will go toward shovel ready projects in the year 2010. The rest either doesn’t help the economy or won’t kick in for several years.
The Democrats’ stimulus also includes a little known provision called decoupling, which could punish people for saving energy by allowing utilities to protect their profits and charge customers a higher rate even if they use less power.
The best way to get out of this recession isn’t more government spending, it is giving money back to American families so they can spend it.
Republicans introduced an alternative. A real stimulus package that includes an across the board income tax cut (This alone could save a married couple filing jointly up to $3,400 a year), an increase in the child tax credit, removes penalties and taxes from IRA withdrawals and makes permanent the lower rate on capital gains and dividends.
Everyone, including the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, has acknowledged that tax cuts will impact the economy more quickly than big government spending. Analysis by President Obama’s senior economic advisors even shows that tax cuts provide a bigger bang for the buck.
Now is the time for serious consideration of real and tangible ways to stimulate our economy. This “stimulus” is good for growing government and growing the deficit, it’s not so good for growing the economy – which is what we should be doing.”
Click here to watch CNN video backing up Rep. Barton's beliefs about the stimulus
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