HOUSE Republican Leader John Boehner

Congressional Budget Office Report: Deficit This Year Hits $1.1 Trillion Already

On Wednesday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released their “Monthly Budget Review” which exposed the extent of the Democrats’ spending binge.  According to the report, “The federal budget deficit was $1.1 trillion for the first nine months of fiscal year 2009, CBO estimates, more than $800 billion greater than the deficit recorded through June 2008.”  The CBO report offers a simple explanation for the shocking budget deficit: “Outlays are 21 percent higher than they were in the first three quarters of 2008, but revenues have fallen by 18 percent.”

The month of May alone ran up a deficit of $190 billion, “about $9 billion higher than CBO’s estimate.”  The deficit for the month of June came in at $97 billion, which was “the first June deficit in more than 10 years.”

This chart from the CBO report illustrates just how reckless the Democrats’ spending binge is:

Despite all the spending, all the borrowing, and all the taxing, unemployment is now climbing to rates not seen in nearly 30 years.  In fact, CNBC contributor Jerry Bowyer recently noted that: “[W]e just passed a historic milestone: Our jobless rate has eclipsed that of France.  And why not?  American labor policy is rapidly mutating toward the Gallic model of wage floors, heavy unionization, and central planning, while French policy under Sarkozy is inching toward a supply-side formula for growth.”

In other words, the policies the Democrats in Washington are pursing are not only heaping record amounts of debt on our kids grandkids by doubling the national debt in five years and tripling it in ten, but the very prescriptions the liberals in Congress are offering to fix our economic ailment are likely to make our problems worse, not better. 

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) recently said on Fox News Sunday that: “You can’t grow the family budget when Washington’s budget is growing; you can’t grow the business budget when Washington’s budget is growing.” 

Unfortunately, Democrats have yet to figure out that you can’t spend your way into prosperity.

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Millions Spent on “Stimulus” Road Signs, But Where Are the Jobs?

This morning on “Good Morning America,” ABC’s Senior Congressional Correspondent Jonathan Karl reported that the Democrats’ $1 trillion “stimulus” is spending millions of taxpayer dollars on signs touting what Democrats would like Americans to believe is its success - some costing as much as $3,000 per sign.   Jonathan Karl noted that: “New Jersey, for example, is getting $650 million in stimulus money for roads and has spent only $225,000 so far, $12,000 of that on signs.” 

Karl also reported that: “Six months after the stimulus was passed, less than 10 percent of the money has been spent and the unemployment rate is still climbing.  That’s prompted calls from some Democrats for yet another stimulus and complaints that some of the money that’s already gone out the door has been wasted.”

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has criticized the Democrats’ trillion-dollar “stimulus,” as the Washington Post reported this morning:  

Boehner told reporters that Obama’s policies will ‘destroy jobs rather than create jobs…Our nation’s economy has taken a beating,’ he said.  ‘The answer isn’t more taxes, more spending, more mandates and more borrowing from China, the Middle East, our kids and grandkids.’  In an earlier statement relayed by the Republican National Committee, the House leader said the administration’s effort ‘clearly isn’t working.’  He added, ‘The people of Ohio — like people all over America — have a right to know: Where are the jobs?’

After passing a $1 trillion “stimulus” bill that was supposed to be all about jobs, the American people have seen millions of their tax dollars spent on a salt marsh mouse in San Francisco, millions towards a website promoting the “stimulus”, and millions towards “stimulus” signs - yet after all of this spending, after all of the debt incurred, where are the jobs? 

It’s a good question - and one the Democrats can’t answer.

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Video: Mr. Boehner Goes to Washington

Courtesy of Chairman Mike Pence (R-IN) and the House Republican Conference:

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After a $1 Trillion “Stimulus” the Question Remains: Where are the Jobs?

The American economy has shed more than 2 million jobs since the President signed the “stimulus” bill that was supposed to be all about jobs.  But as House Republican Leader Boehner (R-OH) has pointed out, the so-called “stimulus” has “turned in to nothing but spending, spending and more spending.”  The President and Democrats in Congress promised that unemployment wouldn’t rise above 8 percent if Congress rushed to enact a 1,100 page, $1 trillion “stimulus” bill that no one had read - yet as the following chart from the House Republican Conference shows, unemployment has continued to surge ahead:

(The House GOP Conference chart is based on the same graph used by Dr. Christina Romer, the President’s top economic advisor, to sell the “stimulus” spending bill to the American people and Congress back in January.)

While the unemployment rate stands at 9.5 percent and rising nationally, many states face an even bleaker picture: as of May, sixteen states and the District of Columbia have unemployment rates that are in excess of 9.6 percent.  Ohio has a 10.8 percent unemployment rate; California’s is 11.5 percent; Oregon’s is 12.4 percent; and Michigan’s is 14.1 percent and climbing, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

And that may not even be the whole picture.  The broader unemployment rate hit 16.5 percent  in June, which the Wall Street Journal defines as those “who are neither working nor looking for work, but say they want a job and have looked for work recently; and people who are employed part-time for economic reasons, meaning they want full-time work but took a part-time schedule instead because that’s all they could find.”

Even Vice President Biden admitted this past weekend that “We misread how bad the economy was,” which may be the understatement of the century.  The fact is we’re spending money we don’t have on a “stimulus” that isn’t creating jobs. 

Any economic recovery begins with jobs.  As Larry Kudlow pointed out last night on CNBC:  “There isn’t going to be a real recovery until jobs start rising.”  The real problem is that: “Wages have flattened and private hours worked keep declining, and the Administration’s $800 billion fiscal stimulus package has failed to stimulate.”

One thing’s for certain: Democrats in Washington know how to spend money with reckless abandon.   What they don’t know how to do is create jobs for struggling middle class families.

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The White House’s Cloudy Transparency Initiative

Seeing an opportunity to start a discussion on transparency in government spending with the American people, Leader Boehner recently submitted an idea to the White House’s “open government initiative.”  The Boehner-submitted idea, a 72-hour mandatory minimum public review proposal on spending legislation, is backed by a wide range of outside groups including the pro-transparency Sunlight Foundation and the nonpartisan American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a coalition of reform-minded state legislators.  Leader Boehner’s submission also asked that President Obama make good on his promise to provide for five days of public comment on all legislation before being signed into law. To date, President Obama is one for 23 in providing that review period.

In announcing the “Open Government Initiative,” the Administration welcomed any and all ideas on increasing openness and transparency, saying:

We are seeking innovative approaches to policy, specific project suggestions, government-wide or agency-specific instructions, and any relevant examples and stories relating to law, policy, technology, culture, or practice.

This is an ideal forum for the 72 hour / 5 day reviews, especially considering the established support of the public…and the President himself.  Thousands of Americans agreed, and at the conclusion of the scheduled voting period, the idea received more votes than any other.  So, surely the White House took the idea into consideration, right?  Not so much.  When ideas from the “brainstorm” phase were chosen to move forward for further development it was apparent that the Administration officials handpicked them with no regard for public support or merit.  In a White House blog post “Wrap-Up of the Open Government Brainstorming: Transparency,” White House Deputy CTO Beth Noveck indicates that the process will not be “government-wide” as previously stated and, coincidently, your votes don’t matter either:

We took the voting into account when assessing your enthusiasm for a submission, but only somewhat in evaluating relevance…There were plenty of great ideas that we read but that unfortunately did not make sense to bring into the next phase, including those … outside the purview of the Executive branch.

So to the nearly 1,200 supporters of Leader Boehner’s submission, the thousands of supporters of the Read the Bill initiative, American taxpayers seeking more accountability in government spending, and yes, even the President, who has been a vocal supporter of the concept in the past, Administration officials have a message for you: It doesn’t “make sense” to discuss your ideas any further.  On the brainstorming site, commenter “sobi” offers his/her appraisal of the situation:

It is diversionary. Health care is also in the hands of the legislature, the administration has no problem involving itself there.

So was the bailout. Administration made demand after demand on legislature.

When it is a policy the administration wants, it is called leadership.

When it is a policy the administration does not want to touch it is called legislative territory.

We will continue to follow the process and look for more opportunities to engage the White House in a genuinely open discussion on these critical issues.  For that discussion to be truly open, it’s time for the White House to acknowledge submissions that make sense to all Americans, even those that are inconvenient or happen to highlight their own broken promises.

Please take a moment to give us your feedback on Leader Boehner’s submission or any others, in the comments below.

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New Auto Mandates Will Increase Cost of New Cars to Consumers and Manufacturers, Ship More American Jobs Overseas

The President will announce this morning a “a single new national standard that will create a car and light truck fleet in the United States that is almost 40 percent cleaner and more fuel-efficient by 2016 than it is today,” as The New York Times reports.  But economists have long said that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch” - and by speeding up the implementation of new fuel-economy standards, his plan will hit consumers and automakers when both can least afford it. 

While increasing fuel economy standards is an admirable goal, there are notable side effects of the President’s decision, including burdening new car buyers with additional costs and hampering car companies with more regulations that could cost more American jobs.

The Washington Post reported that the President’s plan will increase the cost of an average car by $1,300; and The Wall Street Journal noted that: “The Transportation Department last year estimated that requiring auto makers to achieve 31.6 mpg by 2015 would cost the industry $46.7 billion, among the most expensive rule makings in U.S. history.”

The Journal story also quoted Dave McCurdy, president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, who said: “‘Unless there’s a huge spike in the price of gasoline…there will have to be incentives from the government’ to encourage consumers to buy advanced-technology vehicles at prices that will return a profit to manufacturers.”

Moreover, President Obama is merely speeding up hikes in fuel-economy standards - by four years - that were already passed by Congress in 2007, as Bloomberg News noted.  The urgency of the President’s decision may have more to do with political considerations than sound science, as The New York Times reported this morning: 

One ranking industry official said that the administration wanted to get the new mileage rules in place before General Motors made a decision on a bankruptcy filing, which could happen by the end of this month. The new rules also provide some certainty for Chrysler, which is already under bankruptcy protection, so that it can plan its future models.

Myron Ebell, an energy expert with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said of the President’s proposal: “We think these new mandatory fuel standards are most unfortunate…They will price people out of larger vehicles and force them into smaller vehicles.”

That’s exactly right.  The President’s plan will increase costs for American consumers who want to buy a new car and impose additional burdens to an already struggling auto industry that could result in more jobs being shipped overseas.  The result?  Consumers get less choice, higher prices and fewer Americans jobs.

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House Republicans Announce “State Solutions” Project to Highlight Common Sense Solutions Outside the Beltway

House Republican Reps. John Boehner (R-OH), Devin Nunes (R-CA) and Mike Rogers (R-MI) today announced a new online initiative known as the GOP State Solutions project.  The initiative, located on the web at http://states.gopleader.gov,  is intended to highlight reforms being implemented by governors and state and local officials outside the Beltway, and to help shine the light of public scrutiny on federal waste and red tape that hinders states, communities, and families.

“In a time of great challenge for the American people, real solutions start in states and communities across America, not with bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.,” said House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH).  “Through the State Solutions project, reform-minded Republicans in Congress and in state capitols across America will be working together to present better solutions to the challenges facing families and small businesses.”

Leader Boehner has asked Rep. Rogers to serve as the State Solutions project’s liaison to the nation’s governors, while Rep. Nunes will focus on outreach to state legislators.

The State Solutions webpage includes an Issues section broken into six categories in which reform-minded Republicans in Congress and in state capitols across the nation are offering better solutions than those being advanced in Democratic-controlled Washington, including areas such as job creation, education reform, and American energy reform.  The website features links to statements by leading GOP governors such as Gov. Haley Barbour (MS), Bobby Jindal (LA) and Mark Sanford (SC) discussing the impact of Washington Democrats’ policies on their states, and also highlights proposals put forth by outside-the-Beltway leaders such as Nebraska State Treasurer Shane Osborn, who launched a pioneering state spending transparency website, and the nonpartisan American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which is advocating a 72-hour review rule for congressional spending bills and recently released an analysis of the state impact of the new national energy tax proposed by Washington Democrats.

Visit http://states.gopleader.gov for more information on the State Solutions Initiative.

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Boehner Discusses Republican’s Better Budget Blueprint

In an interview on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” this morning, Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) previewed House Republicans’ better budget solution that will be outlined at a press conference later today. Leader Boehner also discussed President Obama’s $3.6 trillion budget proposal that spends too much, taxes too much and borrows too much from our kids and grandkids.

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President Barack Obama and the Website of “NO”

Yesterday in his statement on the budget, President Obama once again called for bipartisan solutions to the problems our economy faces, saying:

The answers don’t have to be partisan, and I welcome and encourage proposals and improvements from both Democrats and Republicans in the coming days.

Responding to President’s call, yesterday Leader Boehner outlined the principles of the Republican budget in brief video:

With both the President’s and the Leader’s statements now featured on YouTube, what better way to offer the American people an opportunity to compare and contrast the two visions for the country than seeing them side by side?   Unfortunately, when we attempted to post the Leader’s statement as a response on the White House YouTube channel, we received this message:

The promise of social media lies in its ability to connect people and start a conversation.  While the Obama administration has received much praise for its use of the web, it’s becoming clear that they intend to have a very one-sided conversation: no YouTube responses, no comments on the White House “blog”, and no Twitter.  Let us know what you think of the White House’s web-policy of “No” in the comments below, by replying to @GOPLeader on Twitter, or in a video response on our YouTube channel.

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A Raw Deal for American Families

Democrats’ Trillion-Dollar Spending Bill Provides $1.10 Per Day in Relief to Workers, While Saddling Every American Family With $9,400 in Added Debt

Following are some very tentative quick facts on the trillion-dollar “stimulus” spending deal slated to be rushed through the House and Senate today or tomorrow by Congressional Democrats, as compiled by the Office of House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH).  These are based on best estimates on legislative text and scoring and may be subject to revision.

1.    Generational Theft.  The final agreement will cost each and every household more than $9,400 in additional debt (including interest on the bill), paid for by our children and grandchildren.

2.    Paltry Tax Relief for Working Families and Small Businesses.  The “Making Work Pay” tax credit at the center of the plan amounts to $1.10 a day, not even enough to ride the bus one-way to work. 

3.    Massive Government Expansion.  The final agreement is almost as much as the annual discretionary budget for the entire federal government.

4.    A Trillion-Dollar Spending Bill.  The $789.5 billion final agreement slated for a House vote either today or tomorrow will exceed more than $1 trillion when adding in the interest of approximately $300 billion between 2009-2019.

5.    Unnecessary Spending That Won’t Create Jobs.   Apparently included in the final “jobs” bill is money for plug-in vehicles, money for STD prevention, and money for ACORN (via the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and CDBG program).  The final agreement also creates new programs and funds existing programs that can be used to fund earmarks and pork-barrel projects.

6.    The bill contains enough spending - $789.5 billion - to give every man, woman and child in America $2,600.  $789.5 billion is enough to give every person in Ohio more than $68,000.

7.    Supporters of the bill say it saves or creates 3.67 million new jobs.  But, the data they are circulating shows only 3.46 million - that’s 210,000 fewer than their talking points claim, 500,000 fewer than President Obama promised, and a staggering 2.74 million fewer than the 6.2 million jobs that would be created by the House GOP alternative.

8.    The bill creates 31 new programs totaling $97 billion (31% of all appropriations) and expands 73 programs by $92 billion which are part of the regular appropriations process, not “stimulative spending.”

9.    Almost one-third of the so called “tax relief” in the bill is spending in disguise, meaning that true tax relief makes up only 26% of the total package - a far cry from the 40 percent that President Obama had requested.

10. A provision tucked in the bill will further increase government involvement in health care by putting bureaucrats - not doctors - in charge of health care choices for families and seniors.

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