Boehner Will Back $250 To Seniors If It Comes From Stimulus Funds

Travis Martinez, University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Thursday that he would support the recent announcement by the White House to provide senior citizens with a check for $250 if the move was payed for with Recovery Act funds.

“The stimulus bill is not working,” said Boehner during a press briefing. “If we’re going provide this benefit to our seniors, why don’t we take it from stimulus funds that clearly aren’t getting the job done?”

The White House suggested the $250 early Wednesday to counter the lack of a cost of living increase in funds received by Social Security recipients.

Boehner was joined Thursday by Senate Minoirty Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who disparaged the direction the health care debate has taken.

McConnell called upon his Democratic colleagues to slow down the health care reform process, pointing to the length of time it took the Senate to tackle other crucial issues.

“Some would argue that [health care reform] is a bigger issue than No Child Left Behind. We spent seven weeks on that,” McConnell said. “Some would argue that this is a bigger issue than Energy, we spent eight weeks on that.”

Boehner: Public Option As Unpopular As A Garlic Milkshake

Justin Duckham-Talk Radio News Service

Republicans have attacked the public option with phrases like “death panels” and “government takeover," but House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) invoked a new term Thursday: “garlic milkshake.”

“I’m still trying to find the first American to talk to who is in favor of the public option,” Boehner said during a press conference. “This is about as unpopular as a garlic milkshake.”

“I haven’t tried it,” Boehner added.

The Minority Leader criticized a number of other items ranked high on Congressional Democrats’ agenda, including cap-and-trade legislation, which Boehner claimed would be a key contributors to job loss.

Boehner also touched upon the recent proposal from Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) to remove Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) from his chairmanship position with the House Ways and Means Committee.

“It’s improper for Chairman Rangel to remain in his position with all of the influence that he has while the serious allegations remain hanging,” Boehner said. “Given the severity of these charges, Democrat leaders should ask Chairman Rangel to step aside.”

The Ohio Republican took issue with President Barack Obama’s decision to travel to Copenhagen to rally support for bringing the Olympics to Chicago as well.

“While the President is in Copenhagen tomorrow, the American people are going to wake up and find out that hundreds and thousands of more Americans have lost their jobs,” said Boehner.

The Minority Leader reiterated his desire to have General Stanley McChrystal, who commands U.S. forces in Afghanistan, testify before Congress.

Boehner: GOP Could Have Saved Twice As Many Jobs

By Justin Duckham-Talk Radio News Service

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) claimed during a press conference Thursday that if the economic recovery efforts were placed in the hands of Congressional Republicans, at least twice as many jobs would have been created.

“Our projections...would be that we would have created twice as many jobs, at half the cost. Given the fact that unemployment continues to rise, we probably could have created ten times as many jobs as [Congressional Democrats] have.”

Boehner claimed that he had based the conclusion off the same method the White House is currently using to compose their statistics.

The House Minority Leader warned that the upcoming health care reform will contribute to further job loss.

“This isn’t hard to figure out. When you raise the cost of employment...you get less employees. There’s no question that their proposal raises the costs of employers to have employees, because it requires all employers to have health care,” Boehner explained.

The Department of Labor recently released a report showing that 9.5% of Americans are currently unemployed.

Boehner also attacked Congressional Democrats’ management of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“16 million of the stimulus money was appropriated to take care of the salt marsh harvest mouse,” said Boehner, who appeared alongside a picture of the endangered rodent based in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) district. “People a hundred miles away have farms that are drying up because they wouldn’t use any stimulus money to turn on the pumps.”

Democratic Party Officials: Boehner Lied About State Not Receiving Stimulus Contracts

By Mariko Lamb, Talk Radio News Service

Chris Redfern, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman, and Hari Sevugan, Democratic National Committee Press Secretary, denied claims made by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) that his home state was not receiving construction projects from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“Multiple independent fact checking organizations have now found that John Boehner went on national TV and lied about the jobs that are being created in his home state--to score some cheap political points--and he continues to do so through his tax payer funded office,” said Sevugan.

According to research organizations, including PolitiFact and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, 52 projects worth $84 million were lined up to boost Ohio’s economy at the time of Boehner’s public statements.

“He ought to be ashamed of himself. He ought to apologize to people of his district and the rest of the state for bashing the jobs that are being saved and created there by the Recovery Act,” said Sevugan.

Chairman Redfern said that locals are pleased that stimulus dollars are being invested in Ohio and that jobs will be created and retained.

“John really needs to get home and listen to people in his district,” he advised.

Boehner Accuses White House Of Lying About Stimulus

By Celia Canon- Talk Radio News Service

During a press conference Wednesday, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio.) said President Obama and Vice President Biden have been telling lies about why the Stimulus package hasn't reversed the nation's spiraling unemployment rate.

“I found it interesting in the last couple of days, the Vice President and the President mentioned the fact they didn't realize how difficult an economic circumstance we were in. Now this is the biggest fabrication I’ve seen since I’ve been in Congress. I’ve sat through those meetings at the White House with the President, the Vice President, trust me there’s not one person that sat in those rooms that didn't know how serious our economic crisis was,” Boehner said.

Reps. John Boehner (R-Ohio.), Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-Wa) cautioned that the recent legislation put forth by the Democrats will do nothing but increase taxes which, in the long term, will hinder consumer spending.

“Republicans know and the American people know that what we need is fiscal discipline in Washington D.C and we need to give the American people a tax relief, working families, small businesses and family
farms need more of their hard earned money to put this economy back on its feet,” said Pence.

As for health care, McMorris-Rodgers explained that “We cannot forget that doctors are the experts, we must guard that relationship between the doctor and his patient; it is one of the most valued relationships
that we have,” adding that “We can reform health care, and we can give options to the uninsured without the federal government setting up shop as a big health insurance company or the health care gate keeper.”