White House Criticizes Dem Jobs Bill for Being Too Big

[Faeelin]

White House says Senate Dems' jobs bill is too expensive
By Pete Kasperowicz and Josiah Ryan    - 06/07/11 10:33 PM ET
The Obama administration on Tuesday night might have thrown a wrench into Senate Democratic plans to pass what they see as a jobs bill — by implying the bill spends too much money.

In a Statement of Administration Policy, the White House said it supports the broad goals of the bill.

"However, the bill would authorize spending levels higher than those requested by the president's Budget, and the administration believes that the need for smart investments that help America win the future must be balanced with the need to control spending and reduce the deficit," the administration said.

The Economic Development Revitalization Act, S. 782, would expand the reach of the Public Works and Economic Development Administration (EDA), and increase funding from nearly $300 million in the current year to $500 million a year through 2015. The White House budget proposal recommended an increase to $325 million.
The comment on the price of the bill is likely to be seized upon by Senate Republicans as a further reason to reject it, and could undermine Senate Democrats' effort to build support for it. Earlier in the day, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) told The Hill that he does not support the funding increase.

"This bill is nothing more than another failed stimulus idea that takes money from workers and businesses and gives it to Washington to pick winners and losers," he said. "We've already wasted hundreds of billions of tax dollars on a misguided stimulus that left us with record high unemployment, and we don't need to repeat the mistake."

On Tuesday morning, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) defended the idea of boosting funds significantly for the EDA, which he said would help create jobs.

"In the last five years we've invested $1.2 billion, creating more than 300,000 jobs," Reid said of the program. "The Republicans are stopping us from moving to it because creating jobs, it appears, is the last thing they care to do."

Reid was referring to DeMint's prior efforts to block the bill. On Tuesday, the Senate agreed to proceed with the EDA legislation after DeMint was assured of an open amendment process for the bill. So far, there has been little debate on the EDA bill itself, and far more discussion about an amendment to delay a rule that would limit debit-card fees, which will be considered Wednesday.

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/165299-white-house-says-senate-dem-jobs-bill-too-expensive

[The Brain]

smart investments that help America win the future

Who writes this stuff anyway?

[Admiral Yi]

"In the last five years we've invested $1.2 billion, creating more than 300,000 jobs," Reid said of the program.

Seems like Harry misplaced a few zeros.  Maybe they're at Yucca Mountain.

[MadImmortalMan]

It was probably proposed specifically so the Prez could shut it down.

[Berkut]

[]quote]
"In the last five years we've invested $1.2 billion, creating more than 300,000 jobs," Reid said of the program. "The Republicans are stopping us from moving to it because creating jobs, it appears, is the last thing they care to do."[/quote]

It's true. Republicans, they hate jobs.

[Razgovory]

They hate state jobs.

[Scipio]

"In the last five years we've invested $1.2 billion, creating more than 300,000 jobs," Reid said of the program. "The Republicans are stopping us from moving to it because creating jobs, it appears, is the last thing they care to do."

It's true. Republicans, they hate jobs.

Okay, given the current level of reported unemployment (13.6 million), we're looking at an additional expenditure (at 4k per new job) of 55.6 trillion dollars in new spending to fully employ the reported unemployed.  I vote we appropriate that money by taxing the rich (those that make $250k+) at 100% of all income over $250K.  That should solve that problem.

[HisMajestyBOB]

Let's tax PAC contributions. That money isn't going to anything worthwhile anyway.
And tax lobbyists. At 100% of gross income.

[Habbaku]

Who will lobby for the lobbyists?

[Eddie Teach]

Let's pay for it with Iraqi oil. The Romans had one thing right, the provinces should be profitable rather than an expense.

[alfred russel]

"In the last five years we've invested $1.2 billion, creating more than 300,000 jobs," Reid said of the program.

Seems like Harry misplaced a few zeros.  Maybe they're at Yucca Mountain.

It is tricky. You can't claim too many jobs without being laughed at, since unemployment is quite high. 300,000 is a decent number. But then how much do you say you spent? $1.2 billion seems puny with the amount spent on other programs, but you don't want to say you spent $100k a job to create jobs averaging $50k in pay either.

[Valmy]

Let's pay for it with Iraqi oil. The Romans had one thing right, the provinces should be profitable rather than an expense.

I vote for drawing up lists of proscribed citizens and killing them and taking their stuff.

[Eddie Teach]

Ed and Lemonjello fight to the death and the winner takes the loser's stuff, using part of it to buy bread for us plebs.

[Monoriu]

Ed and Lemonjello fight to the death and the winner takes the loser's stuff, using part of it to buy bread for us plebs.

I second that proposal.  Although I think that crazy canuck seems to have more stuff than Ed. 

[Eddie Teach]

Crazy Canuck doesn't hold the citizenship though.