White House On “Stimulus” Errors: “Who Knows, Man, Who Really Knows”

White House On “Stimulus” Errors: “Who Knows, Man, Who Really Knows”
Posted by Kevin Boland on November 18th, 2009

Ed Pound, the director of communications for the Obama Administration’s “stimulus” website (recovery.gov), dropped a bombshell in interview with the New Orleans Times Picayune, stating that the Obama Administration has no idea how phantom congressional districts - such as Ohio’s 00th or Louisiana’s 26th - received “stimulus” funds.  The Times Picayune story reported:

"‘We’re not certifying the accuracy of the information,’ said Pound ….Asked why recipients would pluck random numbers - 26, 45, 14 - to fill in for their congressional district, Pound replied, ‘who knows, man, who really knows. There are 130,000 reports out there.’"

Problems surrounding the Democrats’ $1 trillion “stimulus” aren’t limited to Louisiana.  Last night, ABC News’ World News TONIGHT with Charles Gibson reported on false claims of jobs “saved or created” by the “stimulus” in real congressional districts (as opposed to the phantom congressional districts that we found out about yesterday).

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But “stimulus” waste, fraud and abuse isn’t just limited to nine pairs of work boots in Kentucky or phantom congressional districts in Louisiana, as stories in newspapers across America have confirmed:

In Alabama, the Birmingham News reported yesterday that “The Fort Payne Housing Authority this year got a $540,071 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and mistakenly reported in early October that the stimulus grant would create 7,280 jobs,” but, “Actually, the grant to re-roof 154 apartments owned by the authority has created 14 jobs, [Fort Payne Housing Authority Director Pamela E.] Darwin said, adding that someone at the authority meant to type on a federal survey that the grant would create 7,280 hours of work, not jobs.”

In New Jersey, The Record reported on “stimulus” funding for scientific research: “Disclosure reports for NIH and NSF grants filed last month with the federal Web site recovery.gov showed that while UMDNJ netted the most funding, its 89 grants totaling nearly $22 million produced just 71 jobs.  Rutgers reported 50 jobs from 93 grants; Princeton just 22 jobs from 52 grants.”

And In Tennessee, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported that “[t]he web site says 9,566 Tennessee jobs were created at the cost of $3.8 billion but, in another section, reports that three jobs were created in Tennessee’s 47th Congressional District at a cost of $2.3 million.  Tennessee has only nine congressional districts.”  The Commercial Appeal also noted that “Recovery.com raises eyebrows with $3.1 million for the Monteagle Diner.”

Any wonder only seven percent of Americans say the “stimulus” has created jobs, according to a recently released CBS News poll?

As House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) commented yesterday:

"Americans are asking ‘where are the jobs?’ but all they are getting from out-of-touch Washington Democrats is more spending and more debt piled on our kids and grandkids.  A jobless recovery is not what the American people were promised."

House Republicans have a better solution that will actually create real jobs in America because it recognizes that small business, not government, is the engine of job creation in America.  Last month, House Republican leaders sent a letter to the President urging him to consider common-sense solutions to help small businesses and put Americans back to work. These proposals, some of which were presented to President Obama as early as his first week in office, were developed by House Republicans’ Economic Recovery and Health Care solutions groups. The Economic Recovery Solutions Group, led by Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA), is also developing additional proposals to spur job creation.