The. U.S. House passed President Barack Obama’s $787 billion stimulus plan Friday on a 246-183 party line vote. Congressman Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., has been a vocal opponent of the bill and following his “no” vote quickly e-mailed out a statement, with the subject line: “All Montanans got today was a bigger government.”
“Montanans are facing serious economic challenges, and Congress must act quickly, decisively and correctly. Unfortunately, despite empty rhetoric, Speaker Pelosi’s deal with the Senate does not focus enough on funding critical infrastructure projects or tax reductions that would create jobs and stimulate the economy. Instead, the Pelosi deal is filled with wasteful spending that will do nothing to jump start the economy but will permanently bloat the federal government and make future tax increases inevitable. Montanans will end up owing more than we’ll receive because we’re being asked to subsidize the irresponsible spending of states like California, Speaker Pelosi’s home state. While Montana needs and deserves a stimulus bill that creates jobs and boosts the economy, all we got today was a bigger federal government. The real stimulus, the one that I voted for, would have provided twice the jobs for half the cost. We brought strong ideas to the table. For example, I suggested a suspension of all payroll taxes, which would ease the tax burden on working families and businesses alike. I also advocated targeting more spending toward infrastructure projects that put folks to work. Unfortunately, these ideas were not included in the final plan. But I’m not giving up the fight. I intend to closely monitor how these funds are spent and will use my position on the Appropriations Committee to make sure taxpayers get value for their hard earned dollars.”
The Montana Democratic Party blasted out its own e-mail dubbed: “Rehberg puts Wall Street Ahead of Main Street, votes ‘no’ on American jobs.”
Here’s the state Dems’ full statement:
Melville, Mont. – Moments ago Congressman Dennis Rehberg, who has been a reliable ‘yes’ vote for the Bush/Cheney economic policies that have delivered an unprecedented global economic crisis, voted against the Jobs Bill that would create four million American jobs while giving hundreds of millions of dollars in tax cuts for working families.
Earlier today, Rehberg voted against the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a package that will steer over $600 million dollars towards job creation in Montana.
Melville rancher and Montana Democratic Party Chairman Dennis McDonald slammed Rehberg for his vote against recovery from the economic crisis that he helped create.
“Dennis Rehberg’s vote against this important job creation measure is disappointing, but not surprising. This vote was more than just a vote against infrastructure, tax cuts and job creation, it was a vote against Montana,” McDonald said. “The economic crisis is deepening, unemployment in Montana is rising and foreclosures are increasing. When ordinary Montanans and citizens from across the country needed help, Congressman Rehberg put politics above progress.”
Rehberg, the 11th richest member of the U.S. House of Representatives, listed his assets at nearly $60 million dollars on his most recent financial disclosure forms. When Rehberg arrived in Washington over eight years ago there was a $127-billion dollar surplus and unprecedented job growth.
Rehberg’s vote comes on the heels of a new report from the Department of Labor showing that America lost 598,000 jobs in January, the worst job losses since 1974 and the 13th straight month of losses. [U.S. Department of Labor]
“At a time of crisis that calls for immediate action we expect our elected officials to be leaders. Unfortunately all we’ve seen from Congressman Rehberg is partisan politics and obstruction. After thirty years as a professional politician, he’s simply out of touch with the challenges facing working Montanans,” McDonald said.
The proposed recovery plan provides much needed funds for education and health care while providing funding for infrastructure development that will create good paying jobs, including funds to kick start the Great Falls-Calgary transmission line which will provide opportunities for wind farms along the corridor. In addition, the recovery legislation provides for $275 billion in tax cuts for working families.
Now, it’s on to the U.S. Senate …