Republicans assail Recovery Act one day, attend ribbon cuttings, request funds for projects the next — leading Republicans McCain, Pete Sessions among the worst hypocrites
Washington Post (John Solomon and Aaron Mehta) “Legislators who criticized stimulus sought its funding” Rep. Pete Sessions, the firebrand conservative from Texas, has relentlessly assailed the Democratic stimulus efforts as a package of wasteful “trillion-dollar spending sprees” that was “more about stimulating the government and rewarding political allies than growing the economy and creating jobs.” But that didn’t stop the Republican lawmaker from seeking stimulus money behind the scenes for the Dallas suburb of Carrollton after the GOP campaign against the 2009 stimulus law quieted down. Sessions wrote Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in February urging him to give “full and fair consideration” to the affluent city’s request for $81 million for a rail project, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Center for Public Integrity. His letter suggested that the project would create jobs, undercutting his public arguments against the stimulus. LINK
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CBS News (Lucy Madison) “Anti-stimulus lawmakers fought for funds, report says” Dozens of Republicans who strongly touted their opposition to the 2009 Recovery Act have nonetheless quietly made requests for stimulus money, according to a report by the Center for Public Integrity. The report finds that leading members of Congress — including Rep. Pete Sessions, Indiana Rep. Mike Pence, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, former presidential candidates John McCain and Ron Paul, and Tea Party favorites Michele Bachmann and Sen. Scott Brown – have discreetly requested stimulus funds despite their public opposition to the initiative. Sessions, a Texas Republican, has repeatedly decried the law as a “trillion dollar spending spree” that was “more about stimulating the government and rewarding political allies than growing the economy and creating jobs.” But in February of 2010, Sessions wrote to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood urging him to allocate $81 million in stimulus money for a project in an affluent Texas suburb, according to the report. LINK
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National Journal (Sara Sorcher) ” McCain Denies ‘Stimulus Hypocrisy’ Accusation” Sen. John McCain denied allegations today that he publicly opposed President Obama’s stimulus plan, but then went on to quietly request funds. A report released on Monday by the Center for Public Integrity, a nonpartisan investigative reporting group, found that “scores” of leading members of Congress who strongly touted their opposition to the 2009 Recovery Act have nonetheless made requests for a portion of the $787 billion stimulus funds. The report found that the Arizona Republican, who is one of the Senate’s most dedicated opponents of earmarking, wrote to the Transportation Department in an attempt to obtain funds for Phoenix . LINK
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NPR (Frank James) “Stimulus Haters Quietly Sought Money” President Obama and others have noted from time to time the hypocrisy of some Republican lawmakers who voted against the economic stimulus but have appeared at ground-breaking events.The Center for Public Integrity has a new report that picks up on that theme. The reports title pretty much captures the phenomenon: “Stimulating Hypocrisy: Scores of Recovery Act Opponents Sought Money Out of Public View” NPR’s Audie Cornish reported for Morning Edition on the CPI investigation that found while lawmakers avoided using earmarks in appropriations bill since that was a little too obvious and politically radioactive. LINK
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Politics Daily (Christopher Weber) “Plenty of Lawmakers Were Against the Stimulus Before They Were For It” The stimulus package designed to jump start the economy last year was a convenient target for members of both parties looking to take a stand against government spending… The Post points out Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) repeatedly railed against the stimulus, calling it a package of “trillion-dollar spending sprees” that were “more about stimulating the government and rewarding political allies than growing the economy and creating jobs.” But then Sessions went back to his Dallas-area district and lobbied for some of the same government money for an $81-million transportation project. His letter to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, obtained by the Center for Public Integrity, “suggested that the project would create jobs, undercutting his public arguments against the stimulus,” according to the Post’s report. LINK
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Las Vegas Review Journal (Editorial) “Hello Hypocrisy” Many Republicans in Congress have complained bitterly about the stimulus bill…. Yet guess who lined up to ask for stimulus money once the law passed?…. So, how is it that the Republicans explain this incredible hypocrisy? Those who answered the center’s requests for comment essentially said it was a matter of helping constituents… But that is disingenuous. If the stimulus is a failure and bad policy, as they claim, why would they want any part of it? The reality is that this is a crass ploy to try to fool voters…. If these members of Congress paused long enough to put their angry rhetoric and galling hypocrisy on hold, they might see the truth…. Stimulus money is crucial to spurring the economy and creating jobs. LINK
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Las Vegas Review Journal (Steve Tetrault) “‘Stimulating Hypocrisy’ report finds lawmakers voted no but still seek funding” But after the bill was signed into law early in 2009, dozens of lawmakers behind the scenes wrote letters pressuring government bureaucrats on how to spend the money, including some members of Congress who had criticized the stimulus and voted against it, according to a report this week by the Center for Public Integrity. “Scores of Republicans and conservative Democrats who voted against the … American Recovery and Reinvestment Act subsequently wrote letters requesting funds for projects in a massive, behind-the-scenes letter-writing and phone call campaign,” the investigative journalism center said, citing documents in a project it called “Stimulating Hypocrisy.” Among Republicans who voted against the stimulus bill and then requested funding was Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, according to documents posted to the Internet by the center. LINK
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St. Petersburg Times (Editorial) “Republicans demonize the stimulus” Republicans apparently figure if they spread enough misinformation about the federal stimulus money that staved off an economic meltdown, voters will believe it. In a statewide debate Tuesday night, U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio once again contended the stimulus has been an abject failure. .. While the economy remains so fragile, it’s easy to take cheap shots at the $787 billion stimulus package approved by Congress early last year and appeal to voters frustrated with the very slow recovery. Yet by many objective measures nationally and in Florida, the stimulus money has had a significant positive impact. The Congressional Budget Office estimated in August that the stimulus increased the number of people with jobs by up to 3.3 million in the second quarter. That effectively lowered the unemployment rate by up to 1.8 percentage points. But Floridians did not hear those facts during Tuesday night’s debate. LINK
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Yahoo News (Liz Goodwin) Scores of Republican lawmakers–including tea party stars Reps. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Ron Paul of Texas–privately sought out funds from the government’s $787 billion stimulus program even while publicly denouncing it as a failure. The Center for Public Integrity has a comprehensive report on scores of politicians whom the watchdog group says it caught in stimulus “hypocrisy.” Take, for example, Texas GOP Rep. Pete Sessions, who called the stimulus a “spending spree” that would fail to create jobs. The center’s report says Sessions was among the lawmakers who wrote to the federal agencies to ask for the funds precisely to help create jobs back in their home districts. A few more GOP politicians who worked behind the scenes to secure stimulus money: Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana. LINK
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AP “Stimulus critic Bachmann sought local cash” Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota voted against what she calls “the failed Pelosi trillion-dollar stimulus,” but that didn’t stop her from writing letters to federal agencies on behalf of seven grant applications seeking stimulus dollars for her district. The Center for Public Integrity reported Monday that Bachmann was among scores of GOP and Democratic stimulus opponents who wrote behind-the-scenes letters requesting funds for projects. The nonpartisan Washington-based group obtained almost 2,000 lawmaker requests through a public records request and posted them online. Bachmann sent letters in August and September 2009 supporting grant applications for projects including the Northstar Commuter Rail Line, the St. Croix bridge, road upgrades and a broadband expansion. “I am writing to highlight an important project,” she said in all six letters to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. LINK
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Minneapolis Star Tribune (Jeremy Herb) “Critics of stimulus sought part of $787 billion” Rep. Michele Bachmann has railed loudly against the federal economic stimulus package passed by Congress last winter, labeling it a failure and making the $787 billion legislation a campaign issue. But that didn’t stop Bachmann from quietly trying to steer stimulus money into her district, according to a new report. The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit investigative journalism organization, released a report Monday listing Republicans and conservative Democrats who opposed the stimulus package but nonetheless sought funds for their home districts stemming directly from the bill. In Minnesota, Republican Reps. Bachmann, Erik Paulsen and John Kline — who all voted against the bill — wrote letters requesting money for stimulus-funded projects, according to documents obtained by the center under the federal Freedom of Information Act. LINK
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Shakopee Valley News (Pat Minelli) “Kline, Bachmann, Paulsen sought federal stimulus funds despite opposition to bill” hree Republican members of Congress, including Rep. John Kline, who represents the 2nd District, wrote letters seeking federal stimulus dollars for their districts despite heavily criticizing the program, according to a report in the Star Tribune. Kline, along with Reps. Michele Bachmann and Erik Paulsen, sent letters for projects after voting against the stimulus. The Star Tribune said the Center for Public Integrity reported Monday that the Minnesota Republicans were among scores of GOP and Democratic stimulus opponents who wrote behind-the-scenes letters requesting funds for projects. The nonpartisan Washington-based group obtained almost 2,000 lawmaker requests through a public records request and posted them online. LINK
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Twin Cities Pioneer Press (Jason Hoppin) “Bachmann requested federal stimulus money for district projects” Despite vocal criticism of the federal stimulus package and a re-election campaign that trades heavily on her opposition to it, Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann sought stimulus funding on at least seven occasions last year. The requests, which came in August and September of 2009, were released Sunday by the investigative journalism site Center for Public Integrity. They include a request for funding for a $150 million expansion of the Northstar commuter rail line to St. Cloud – something Bachmann had declined to back just months earlier. The Center for Public Integrity, a nonpartisan Washington-based group, said Bachmann was among almost 2,000 GOP and Democratic stimulus opponents who wrote behind-the-scenes letters requesting funds for projects. LINK
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Minnesota Independent (Jesse Zwick) “Bachmann among Republicans who bashed stimulus while lobbying for funds” Republicans have spent the better part of the last year and a half railing against a government stimulus package they often blame for crowding out more jobs than it saved. But the Center for Public Integrity has published an extensive report pointing out that some of the bill’s loudest detractors made the jobs case themselves for stimulus projects in their state or district. The list is as unlikely as it is long. According to the Center, Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) “wrote Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in February, urging his cabinet agency to give ‘full and fair consideration’ to the city’s request for $81 million in stimulus money, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Center for Public Integrity. Ironically, his letter suggested the project would create jobs, undercutting the very public argument he has made against the stimulus. ‘Carrollton’s project will create jobs, stimulate the economy, improve regional mobility and reduce pollution,’ the lawmaker wrote.” LINK
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Michigan Independent (Ed Brayton) “Michigan Republicans oppose stimulus, request funds” The Center for Public Integrity has used the Freedom of Information Act to get their hands on hundreds of letters written by mostly Republican legislators who voted against the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – i.e. the stimulus bill – and then applied for those funds after the bill was passed. That by itself would not be a problem, but most of those legislators have gone on to claim that the stimulus bill didn’t do anything to create jobs – while their letters requesting funds specifically talk about the importance of the projects they are supporting because they will create so many jobs. Most of the Republican members of the Michigan congressional delegation wrote such letters, including Candice Miller, Dave Camp, Mike Rogers, Pete Hoekstra, Vern Ehlers and Fred Upton. All of them voted against the stimulus bill and most of them have been outspoken in claiming that the bill did not create jobs. LINK
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New Bern Sun Journal (Gene Lyons) “Time for Democrats to slam the GOP hypocrites” If the White House wanted to make a real fight of it, President Obama would spend the next two weeks reading aloud from the official correspondence of GOP congressional leaders. But has he got the necessary will? Take Rep. Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota, for example. Campaigning for re-election, the photogenic tea party heroine postures boldly against taxes and government spending. A bitter critic of the Obama administration’s efforts to improve the economy, she specifically and repeatedly derides “the failed Pelosi trillion-dollar stimulus.” Somewhat less publicly, Bachmann has taken a different position. Researchers for the nonpartisan Center for Public Integrity released a bunch of letters she wrote to various federal agencies seeking stimulus grants for her district. Perhaps the most telling is one she sent to the Transportation Department seeking money for a bridge over the St. Croix River. LINK
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Orange County Register (Martin Wisckol) “O.C. lawmakers slam stimulus, but seek grants” Three of Orange County’s congressmen have attacked the federal stimulus program, but have also sought a share of the $800 billion in spending, according to this investigation by California Watch and the Center for Public Integrity. Reps. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Costa Mesa, Ken Calvert, R-Corona, and Gary Miller, R-Diamond Bar, have all written letters seeking stimulus funding for transportation projects while publicly decrying the program, saying it will not generate new jobs. The investigation found other representatives statewide and nationwide in the same boat. LINK
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California Watch (Chase Davis) “Stimulus opponents still sought grants” Even as they publicly criticized the federal stimulus program, several members of Congress from California wrote privately to federal agencies asking for their share of the $800 billion in spending, an investigation by the nonprofit Center for Public Integrity has found. They include Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Carlsbad. He opposed the stimulus, writing in an opinion piece in The San Diego Union-Tribune that he prefers tax cuts and clean energy policies as “real reforms that will get our economy moving again.” Still, he sought stimulus money in September 2009 for a Highway 101 improvement project, calling it “an economic investment in the future of Solana Beach.” California’s House delegation cast 34 votes for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and 19 against. Among those who voted no, almost three-fouths, or 14, went on to seek stimulus money, according to an analysis by the Union-Tribune of documents from the Center for Public Integrity, an investigative reporting nonprofit in Washington. The documents covered only five major agencies, so there may have been additional requests. LINK
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Iowa Independent (Lauren Mills) “Iowa Republicans denounce stimulus bill, quietly push for funds” U.S. Rep. Steve King has described the federal stimulus bill as a “non-stimulating boondoggle of liberal pet-projects and wasteful spending.” And in February of 2009, he was joined by his fellow Iowa Republicans – U.S Rep. Tom Latham and Sen. Chuck Grassley in voting against the bill. But that hasn’t stopped them scrambling to secure for their districts a slice of the $275 billion in competitive federal contracts, grants and loans included in the bill. According to a cache of letters, obtained by the Center for Public Integrity, six of Iowa’s seven members of Congress, regardless of their stance on the stimulus, have promoted projects funded by the bill. LINK
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Texas Watchdog (Mark Lisheron) “Texas stimulus opponents later sought stimulus funds for their districts” At least a dozen Texas lawmakers who voted against the $787 billion stimulus bill later drafted letters to federal agencies asking for stimulus money for projects for their own constituencies. Through federal Freedom of Information Act requests, the Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C., found hundreds of letters written by U.S. senators and representatives who voted against the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — including Republicans, asking for stimulus funding on behalf of companies, cities, counties and universities. When asked about the propriety of going after funding from a program they did not support, Texas legislators responded in kind that while they voted with their consciences, when the bill passed they had a responsibility to their constituents. LINK
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Tulsa World (Jim Myers) “Oklahomans in Congress stand behind stimulus requests” The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit organization in Washington, issued a report on such efforts by a number of lawmakers. The report described the efforts as “congressional hypocrisy.” Asked to respond, Oklahoma lawmakers did not back down from their support of projects funded by the $787 billion bill designed to stimulate the lagging economy. “Like it or not, President (Barack) Obama signed this bill into law, and Oklahoma tax dollars are being used to fund it,” said Rep. John Sullivan, a Republican. “Let me be clear. This is our money, and I will always fight to ensure Oklahoma tax dollars stay in Oklahoma instead of being shipped off to the other 49 states.” A spokesman for Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe said the Republican senator believes it is his job to work on behalf of Oklahoma taxpayers to ensure that some of the federal funds are returned to the state for worthwhile projects. LINK
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Mankato Free Press (Dwight Grabitske) “Stimulus critics lack sincerity” There’s only one thing worse than a loud and rude critic of a reasonable policy that helps people: a rude, loud and insincere critic. That appears to be the emerging narrative for a host of Republicans and Democrats who shouted down the economic stimulus as wasteful government spending, and even worse, money that did nothing for the economy. A Washington Post report shows many of the critics secretly lobbied to get stimulus money for their districts. Take the case of Republican Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas, who described the stimulus as wasteful “trillion dollar spending spree” that was more about political payoffs than creating jobs. Yet, he wrote Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood asking for “full and fair consideration” for an $81 million rail project for a wealthy Dallas suburb. LINK
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De Soto Explorer (Laura Herring) “Kansas Republicans opposed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, but sought stimulus funding” Last year, U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., criticized the federal economic stimulus bill as “an old-fashioned grab-bag spending bill.” But that hasn’t stopped Brownback and his fellow Republicans who voted against the bill from working behind the scenes to secure funding under it. The nonprofit, nonpartisan Center for Public Integrity reported that scores of U.S. House and Senate members who opposed the bill, and voiced strong criticism of it, later tried to win approval of certain projects under the legislation. Kansas’ Republican congressional delegation fits that description, lobbying for tens of millions of dollars in projects. LINK
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St. Louis Beacon (Dale Singer) “After opposing the stimulus, members of Congress try to get some of its dollars for constituents” When the $787 billion federal stimulus bill won approval in Congress in February of last year, Rep. Todd Akin, R-Town and Country, said that the “whopping price” was too much, and he talked of an “ethical question” about participating in a process he considers wasteful of taxpayer money. But as federal officials began to decide where the money should go, Akin swallowed his opposition. He wrote a letter to Laurence E. Strickling, an assistant secretary in the Commerce Department, urging that some of the funds should go to a business in his 2nd District, as part of the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP).
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In the formalized language that typifies many such congressional requests for consideration of their constituents, Akin wrote to Strickling on Sept. 14, 2009: “It has come to my attention that Wi2Wi is seeking funding to develop Micro-Infrastructure Technology comprised of Micro-Access Units and Micro-Control-Units. I believe this technology application, if supported by the BTOP, could bring a benefit to underserved, smaller communities throughout Missouri.” LINK
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Boston Globe (Derrick Z. Jackson) “Stimulus money game” MASSACHUSETTS SENATOR Scott Brown is well known for claiming that the $787 billion stimulus package “hasn’t created one new job.” It turned out that Brown was wrong, as the Congressional Budget Office estimated in August that the stimulus increased employment by as many as 3.3 million people in the second quarter of this year. It also turns out that he was a hypocrite. Brown is one of a host of prominent Republicans who has trashed the stimulus and fanned a toxic anti-government fervor among Americans and groups such as the Tea Party. Yet they made it their private business to net jobs out of the stimulus. LINK
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Attleboro Sun Chronicle (Matt Kakley) “Stimulus foe Brown sought US cash” U.S. Sen. Scott Brown was among a number of lawmakers who publicly blasted the federal stimulus bill, while quietly seeking cash for projects they support, according to an investigation by a national journalism group. Mentioned along with Brown in the report, completed by the Center for Public Integrity, were former presidential candidates Ron Paul and John McCain and scores of other Republicans and conservative Democrats who voted against the stimulus, then later sought funding for projects. The report cites Brown’s first news conference after taking office in January, following his surprise election over state Attorney General Martha Coakley in the race to succeed the late Sen. Edward Kennedy. While talking with reporters, Brown doubted the success of the $787 billion stimulus bill, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. LINK
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