The Obama Administration famously predicted its so-called stimulus plan would “save or create 3.5 million jobs.”  However, yesterday the President admitted that, “we haven’t always gotten the numbers right.”  An understatement?  You decide: two million jobs have been destroyed between February and June 2009.  The unemployment rate reached 9.5% in June, well above the 8% level the… Read more

Today’s UI benefit claims data from the U.S. Department of Labor reveals another record number of Americans collecting unemployment insurance (UI) benefits.  The almost 9 million currently collecting UI benefits is an increase of 1 million from the level before the so-called stimulus bill.  This counts the 6 million receiving State UI benefits (payable for up to six months) and the… Read more

Washington, DC – Following the release of the June 2009 jobs report this morning, Ways and Means Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI) issued the following statement: “American workers didn’t need to wait for the latest jobs report to know that the President’s trillion dollar spending bill is not creating jobs.  At 9.5 percent in June, our current unemployment rate is 1.6 percentage points… Read more

As a candidate, the President stated that under his plan “electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.”  I give him credit – he was being honest with the American people. Today, the nation’s unemployment level is fast approaching 10 percent.  That means one out of every ten Americans will soon be without a job and without a paycheck to provide for themselves and their families. … Read more

June 26, 2009 The current version of the Democrats’ National Energy Tax Bill (H.R. 2998) eliminated middle class tax relief provisions, denying relief from higher energy bills to millions of middle class taxpayers.  As the bill is written, every family of four earning over $33,000 “loses” – getting no energy stamps but all the energy tax hikes in the Democrats' bill.  How is that… Read more

Background:  “In his new book, Positively American: Winning Back the American Middle Class One Family at a Time, Senator Charles Schumer reveals the imaginary constituents that have long informed his political career: Joe and Eileen Bailey. The Baileys live in a suburb of Long Island with their three kids, they both work, and they earn about $75,000 annually….Schumer says that the… Read more

Last week’s initial UI benefit claims data [1] from the U.S. Department of Labor set off a common refrain in the media that the number of individuals collecting UI benefits supposedly “plunged,” which is touted as “evidence the job market is starting to thaw.” [2] Headlines included “Continuing Claims Fall for Jobless Benefits” (Washington Post), “Unemployment Rolls Post Decline” (Chicago… Read more

(Remarks as Prepared)Today’s hearing offers a timely reminder of the difference between the fantasyland of Washington, D.C. and the reality of the rest of America. Here in fantasyland, we’ll discuss adding one more multi-billion dollar entitlement program.  This would be on top of the new higher education entitlement program created this year, and of course our current health care and… Read more

WASHINGTON, DC – Following the jobs report this morning, Ways and Means Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI) released the following statement: “Jobs have not been saved—they have been lost.  And, thousands more will be out of work this summer as GM and Chrysler lay off workers, shutter plants and eliminate dealerships – the ripple effect of which will be felt throughout U.S. manufacturing… Read more

A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report finds that, contrary to the intent of the 1996 welfare reform law, “certain sponsored noncitizens may receive means-tested public benefits based on their income and assets alone, even though they have sponsors who signed legally enforceable affidavits agreeing to support them when they became permanent residents in this country.” (page… Read more