More, more, more! Attack the lies and obstruction!
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/112363-white-house-blasts-mccain-and-coburn-on-stimulus-spending-reportWhite House blasts McCain and Coburn on stimulus spending report
By Michael O'Brien - 08/03/10 11:45 AM ET
The White House went on the attack Tuesday against two GOP senators for a report they released outlining what they see as the 100 worst stimulus projects.
The top economic adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, who heads up efforts to implement and promote the administration's signature $787 billion stimulus package, blasted Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) for their report, which outlines 100 projects the senators say are wasteful.
Jared Bernstein, Biden's chief economic adviser, said McCain and Coburn's report was an "inaccurate and misleading attack on programs that are putting Americans to work across the nation."
"{I}t’s very unfortunate that, once again, instead of trying to help create the conditions for stronger growth, to help build on the momentum of the Recovery Act, McCain and Coburn spend their valuable time cooking up phony critiques and, with their Republican colleagues, blocking votes of even bipartisan measures to help small businesses," Bernstein wrote on the White House blog.The new report is the third in a series of reports by Coburn and McCain on the stimulus, which Republicans of all stripes have attacked as a spending boondoggle that's done little to create jobs — despite administration claims otherwise.
"We owe it to all Americans that are paying taxes and struggling to find jobs, to rebuild our economy without doing additional harm, and to do it in a way that expands opportunities for future generations," the senators wrote. "Too many stimulus projects are failing to meet that goal."
Bernstein sought to rebut many of the specific criticisms in the report, while also depicting the stimulus as a key element of the struggling economic recovery in the United States.
He also made the political case for the stimulus, framing the administration as being for job creation, and Republicans as being against many of the efforts the White House has sought to use to create jobs.
"The President has shown he is willing to work with anyone who will join us to figure out new ways to create more jobs. The Vice-President spends each week making sure we’re squeezing job out of every Recovery Act dollar," he said. "Meanwhile, Republicans are blocking an up or down vote on a package of bipartisan proposals that would cut taxes for small businesses and allow them access to capital through community banks."