Today, the Washington Post reported that with regard to health care, the President is “challenging his critics to identify any ‘gap’ between what he campaigned on last year and what Congress is on the verge of passing.” The President went on to tell the Post, “Every single criteria for reform I put forward is in this bill.” Well, Mr. President, below are just a fistful of ways the… Read more

Barack Obama's quest for historic health-care legislation has turned into a parody of leadership. We usually associate presidential leadership with the pursuit of goals that, though initially unpopular, serve America's long-term interests. Obama has reversed this. He's championing increasingly unpopular legislation that threatens the country's long-term interests. "This isn't about me,"… Read more

The table below compares the White House's February 2009 projection of the number of jobs that would be created by the 2009 stimulus law (through the end of 2010) with the actual change in state payroll employment through November 2009 (the latest figures available).  According to the data, 49 States have lost jobs since the stimulus was enacted as unemployment has skyrocketed to 10… Read more

The “Misery Index” of the 1970s is back, but in a new and startling form.  Today, the nation’s skyrocketing debt, coupled with rapidly growing and now double-digit unemployment, has created a new “Obama Misery Index,” detailed by Ways and Means Republicans each month since June 2009.  Now Moody’s has created its own “Misery Index.”  Like the Ways and Means Republican version, the Moody’s… Read more

For the second time in three weeks, the number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits has reached an all time record -- 10.1 million in the week ending November 28, 2009, the most recent for which full data are available.  As the graph below shows, the total number of Americans on unemployment benefits has increased by over 2 million since Congressional Democrats passed the… Read more

It’s been well-documented how PelosiCare would harm seniors and taxpayers.  But what has not been discussed is how the bill would punish married couples.  Consider this:   The House Democrats’ health bill (H.R. 3962) would set the maximum health insurance premium amounts that low and moderate income individuals and married couples could pay each year.  These families and individuals… Read more

As House Democrats prepare to bring “Stimulus II” to the floor today, a quick review of its major provisions shows striking similarity to the failed Stimulus I Democrats passed in February 2009.  Unfortunately for the American people, it is likely to have the same result:lots more spending but no job creation. ### Read more

Democrats insisted their so-called February 2009 stimulus bill would create 3.5 million jobs and keep unemployment from rising above 8 percent.  Instead we have lost almost 3 million jobs since then as unemployment rose to 10 percent: In an attempt to distract from their grim economic record, Democrats have taken to blaming the last President for the failure of their own stimulus… Read more

Madame Speaker, The bill before us is a candid admission by the Majority that their tax, borrow and spend ways have driven America deeper and deeper into debt.  In fact, because of the failed trillion-dollar stimulus spending bill, America’s unemployment is higher than predicted and revenues are lower.  But that hasn’t stopped the majority from continuing to spend, spend,… Read more

Mr. Chairman, Madame Chair, I want to thank you for holding this important hearing.  But before I turn to this hearing’s subject, and in light of the Social Security Subcommittee Chairman’s recent retirement announcement, I want to take advantage of this opportunity to personally acknowledge and thank the Chairman for his long and distinguished service to this nation.  Mr. Chairman,… Read more