Today’s Agenda
Senator Lee is back in Washington today. The Senate is expected to resume business on H.R.2832, the Generalized System of Preferences Act.
From the Senator’s Desk
After a recent report showing that the economy added no new jobs in August, it is worth looking back at how some of President Obama’s previous proposals to fix the economy and create jobs have fared. (compiled by the Republican Policy Committee)
- Stimulus — $825 billion
What Obama said: The Stimulus “will save or create more than 3.5 million jobs.”
What happened: 1.7 million jobs have been lost since the Stimulus was enacted, and unemployment has skyrocketed from 7.8% in January 2009 to 9.1%.
- Small Business Lending — $30 billion
What Obama said: The bill will “help provide loans to millions of small business owners.”
What happened: Only $1.8 billion has been provided to banks to loan to small businesses.
- Green Jobs in Stimulus — $20 billion
What Obama said: Stimulus funding for green technology “will create the jobs of the future.”
What happened: According to the New York Times: “efforts to stimulate creation of green jobs have largely failed.”
- Cash for Clunkers — $3 billion
What Obama said: Cash for Clunkers “ provided the American auto industry an important boost.”
What happened: According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, industry gains were “almost completely reversed by as early as March 2010.”
- Making Home Affordable programs — $30 billion
What Obama said: “[T]hrough this plan, we will help between 7 and 9 million families restructure or refinance their mortgages.”
What happened: Fewer than 700,000 mortgages have been refinanced by these programs.
On Twitter | Follow @SenMikeLee | @SenLeeComs | @SenLeePressSec
SenMikeLee
@jasonmaterra interview w/ me suggests existence of a different vision for country other than president’s: http://ow.ly/6vCZ3 #attackwatch
SenLeeComs
Obama punts on entitlements. $320b “savings” wiped out by “doc fix”. Bottom line: it saves nothing, it changes nothing http://wapo.st/oxGWS8
SenLeePressSec
Lee: Minimize Government Burden on Employers http://bit.ly/pMsSOH (@rollcall)
Around the Water Cooler
Gov. Herbert: State flexibility is key to Medicaid reform
Clearly, Medicaid can be a valuable medical program for our neediest Utahns. I am not disputing its value, particularly for children. But it is essential that Utah obtain the most value for these critical dollars. To achieve that, states need a greater, more flexible role.
But the president won’t call for any changes in Social Security, officials say, and is seeking less-aggressive changes to Medicare and Medicaid than previously considered. He will propose $320 billion in health-care savings but will not include raising the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67, officials said.
A Look Ahead
Tomorrow, Senator Lee meets with representatives from NRLN, HOSA, Advocates for Arthritis, Immigration Voice, the Central Utah Water Conservancy District, and AIPAC. He holds his weekly press conference with Utah media in the afternoon. Later this week, the Anti-trust Subcommittee, to which Senator Lee is the Ranking Member, will hold a hearing on the potential anti-competitive business practices of Google.