Boxer Exaggerates Stimulus Job Numbers
November 13, 2009
Sacramento, CA — Deputy Campaign Manager for Communications Julie Soderlund issued the following statement regarding Barbara Boxer’s recent visit to San Diego to tout the one job created by the federal economic stimulus.
“Next time Barbara Boxer decides to hold a media stunt to tout the number of jobs created by the economic stimulus, she may want to check to make sure it’s more than one. While it’s troubling that Boxer continues to use the economic stimulus to keep her job while Californians continue to lose theirs, overpromising and under delivering has become a hallmark of her nearly 18 years in the Senate. These election year stunts will continue to shine much needed light on her lack of results for the people of California.” said Soderlund.
Barbara Boxer misrepresented the facts about the number of San Diego jobs created by the federal stimulus.
Boxer Touts Stimulus Jobs Actually Created Through NIH Grants. “The $787 billion stimulus package was rolled out as a jobs program to keep unemployment below 8%. But the opposite has happened. Unemployment is over 10% and we’re still losing jobs. While touring the John Moores Cancer Center at UCSD, Sen. Boxer said federal dollars have launched fifty San Diego companies, creating more than 16,000 jobs. Launched with National Institute of Health grants, not stimulus dollars.” (KUSI News San Diego, 11/12/09)
Highly Specialized Medical Doctor Reported To Be San Diego’s One Recipient Of A Job Provided By Federal Stimulus Funds. “The lion’s share of the $45 million coming to UCSD will go to research, a handful of technicians will be hired, so will a scientist, and [voice of Dr. Dennis Carson] ‘a Neurooncologist has been hired to help lead a program aimed at developing new therapies for brain tumors.’ That’s the first San Diego job created that we know of.” (KUSI News San Diego, 11/12/09)
“The Failure Of The Stimulus Package, Boxer’s Record And Her Self-Importance Will Likely Be Issues In Her Re-Election Campaign.” (KUSI News San Diego, 11/12/09)
Nearly one year after Boxer claimed the stimulus would put “Californians to work now,” San Diego only has one job to show for it.
Lack Of San Diego Jobs Created By Stimulus Called “Amazing.” “ANCHOR: Just for clarity here, I want to make sure we all this right, that was the first job created in San Diego with the stimulus money, you said? REPORTER: That we know of. ANCHOR: That’s pretty amazing.” (KUSI News San Diego, 11/12/09)
In February 2009, Boxer Said The Stimulus Would “Put Californians To Work Now.” “Senator Boxer said, ‘In the face of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the Congress has acted today to save or create jobs in California and across the nation. With so many Californians anxious about the economy, this legislation offers help and hope. This bill will put Californians to work now building the highways, bridges, transit and rail systems, and renewable energy sources of the 21st century.’” (Senator Barbara Boxer, “Boxer Praises Passage Of Economic Recovery Legislation,” Press Release, 2/13/09)
Stimulus Plan Not Producing As Promised. “The $787 billion stimulus plan is turning out to be far less stimulating than its architects expected. Back in early January, when Barack Obama was still President-elect, two of his chief economic advisers — leading proponents of a stimulus bill — predicted that the passage of a large economic-aid package would boost the economy and keep the unemployment rate below 8%. It hasn’t quite worked out that way.” (Time, 7/14/09)
California’s Unemployment Rate Was An Abysmal 12.2% In September. “In California, where unemployment was 12.2% in September, the rate for October will be reported Nov. 20.” (Los Angeles Times, 11/7/09)
Nationwide Almost 16 Million Workers Now Have No Jobs. “Some 15.7 million workers now have no jobs, the government said in releasing its monthly unemployment report, and an estimated 5 million more are working fewer hours and drawing smaller paychecks than they were before the country fell into the worst recession in a generation.” (Los Angeles Times, 11/7/09)
Worsening Jobs Numbers Are Actually Worse Than They Appear. “The jobless rate when Obama took office was 7.6%, and it was a mere 4.9% in December 2007, when the latest recession officially began. Since then, the number of unemployed workers has increased by 8.2 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And the government doesn’t count as officially unemployed the so-called discouraged workers who have given up looking for jobs — and who numbered 808,000 last month, up from 484,000 a year earlier. There also were 9.3 million people who reported that they were working part time because their hours had been cut or they could not find full-time jobs. If this group and discouraged workers are included, along with others on the fringe of the labor market, the nation’s rate of unemployment plus underemployment in October was 17.5%.” (Los Angeles Times, 11/7/09)
Boxer continues to use the economic stimulus to keep her job while Californians continue to lose theirs.
Boxer Was The Lead Defender Of Millions In Funding For Road Signs – Paid For By Stimulus Dollars – To Announce Where Stimulus Funds Are Being Spent. “They’re spending hundreds of spend millions putting up signs to highlight where the money is being spent. The road signs, which let motorists know the paving and construction projects they see are being paid for by the $787 billion economic stimulus program, have popped up across the country. In a 52-45 vote, the Senate decided the signs should stay. Why on earth would you want to hide from the American people the fact that the recovery package we passed is putting people to work? asked Sen. Barbara Boxer, California Democrat, who took the lead in defending the expenditure.” (The Washington Times, 9/17/09)
A Bipartisan Group Of Boxer’s Colleagues Voted To Strip Funding For The Signs. “Five Democrats — Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Charles E. Schumer of New York — voted with all 40 Republicans to try to strip the money, but their support was not enough. Mrs. Boxer called the effort ‘anti-jobs’ and said the signs are an example of government transparency.” (The Washington Times, 9/17/09)
Boxer: People Who Didn’t Support Stimulus Are Frustrated That It’s Working. “It’s my sense that there’s a frustration by the people who voted ‘no’ on the economic recovery act, the stimulus bill, there’s a frustration that it’s working. They predicted gloom and doom, Mrs. Boxer said.” (The Washington Times, 9/17/09)
