Power Lines: October 12, 2011
IN THE NEWS
At the behest of Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the Department of Labor’s Inspector General (IG) recently issued a report on the status of a $500 million “green jobs” program designed by the President and congressional Democrats in 2009. The findings are disappointing, to say the least.
The program was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – the President’s costly $1.2 trillion “stimulus” failure – and was designed to procure employment for approximately 80,000 people by providing grants for labor exchange and job training projects. Two years after the program’s inception, $300 million remains unspent, a mere 15 percent of current participants have been provided with jobs, and only 2 percent of the targeted 69,717 participants have retained employment for at least 6 months.
These are underwhelming results. According to the IG, “[W]ith 61 percent of the training grant periods elapsed and only 10 percent of participants entered employment, there is no evidence that grantees will effectively use the funds and deliver targeted employment outcomes by the end of the grant periods." The IG further recommends that the bulk of the money allotted for the program be returned to the Treasury.
WHAT ARE REPUBLICANS DOING?
While the Administration continues its quixotic mission to develop “green” jobs from thin air using billions of taxpayer dollars, House Republicans are committed to putting Americans back to work by jumpstarting American energy exploration, ending growth-inhibiting EPA obstruction, and achieving energy security. Putting our country’s abundant natural resources to use will create jobs and spur economic growth without wasting millions of taxpayer dollars. Additionally, the House Republicans have a plan for job creation that will remove government barriers and provide the certainty that businesses need to grow.
For questions or further information contact Sarah Makin or Josh Massingill.
For additional information, contact:
The House Republican Conference Policy Office
