More Information on Recovery.gov Recovery Board Chairman Can’t Certify Any Jobs Data

Adding to the brewing controversy over the Obama Administration’s inability to accurately report the jobs “saved or created” by the stimulus on its $18 million dollar Recovery.gov website is this report from ABC News: “Recovery Board Chairman: We Can’t Certify Jobs Data at Recovery.gov.”

According to the ABC report, Earl Devaney, the chairman of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, stated the following in response to a congressional inquiry on the reliability of stimulus related jobs data:”

“Your letter specifically asks if I am able to certify that the number of jobs reported as created/saved on Recovery.gov is accurate and auditable. No, I am not able to make this certification.” ABC posted Devaney’s letter on its site.

As noted in a press release sent out earlier this morning, the Recovery.gov site reports that $149,694,747 in stimulus money has been spent in the 9^th district to ‘create or save’ 239 jobs at a cost of $626,337 per job.

In addition, Recovery.gov also reports 21.5 jobs were ‘saved or created’ in Pennsylvania’s 23^rd congressional district for $1,487,259. Seven jobs were saved for $6,729,345 in district 00 and zero jobs – that’s right – zero jobs saved in the 96^th district for $1,960,179. All of these are districts that do not exist.

The inability of the Administration to certify its jobs figures, as well as the chairman of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board’s lack of confidence in his own website should lead everyone to question whether the 239 jobs reportedly “saved or created” by the stimulus in Pennsylvania’s 9^th district actually exist at all.

BREAKING NEWS: Pennsylvania Gains House Seats, Invisible Jobs ….According to the Brain Trust at Recovery.gov

Click the image to enlarge the PA jobs report from Recovery.gov

As news reports continue to break about the flawed job numbers coming out of President Obama’s Recovery.gov stimulus website, Congressman Shuster (PA-09) thought it would be interesting to see for himself how the government’s $18 million website is reporting the number of jobs “created or saved” in Pennsylvania from the trillion dollar stimulus. What he found was surprising and simply defies common sense:

“With national unemployment at 10.2 percent and rising, the American people and many of my own constituents are wondering where the jobs are and I don’t blame them. It’s only right for the people who paid for the trillion dollar stimulus to see what they got for their money. I went to the recovery.gov website to find out and what I found was simply amazing.

According to Recovery.gov, $149,694,747 in stimulus money has been spent in the 9^th district to ‘create or save’ 239 jobs at a cost of $626,337 per job. But that’s not all. Recovery.gov also reports 21.5 jobs were ‘saved or created’ in Pennsylvania’s 23^rd congressional district for $1,487,259. Seven jobs were saved for $6,729,345 in district 00 and zero jobs – that’s right – zero jobs saved in the 96^th district for $1,960,179. The problem is there are only 19 congressional districts in Pennsylvania.

How can we expect the administration to lead our economy into recovery when they take credit for spending $10,176,783 in congressional districts that don’t even exist?”

** At last count; there are only 19 congressional districts in Pennsylvania.

Note: According to ABC News, Recovery.gov was recently given an $18 million dollar grant. The LA Times, $9.5 million has been spent on the most recent update of the site (errors and all), with $8.5 million on the way for additional “improvements.”

Will House Leaders Now Focus on Job Creation?

House GOP Whip Eric Cantor reacts to Speaker Pelosi and President Obama's promise to focus on jobs:

The stimulus is not creating jobs

House Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee posted a press release on the failure of the stimulus to create jobs. It's a definite must read.

President's proposal to save jobs forcing American jobs overseas

Microsoft is considering moving some of its workforce out of the country if the President's plan on raising taxes on U.S. corporations becomes law.

Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer made the company's position on higher taxes pretty cut and dry in the piece:

“It makes U.S. jobs more expensive,” Ballmer said in an interview. “We’re better off taking lots of people and moving them out of the U.S. as opposed to keeping them inside the U.S.”

Here's another snippet from the article with Symantec's CEO seconding Microsoft's stance:

Obama has said his proposals would protect or create jobs in the United States.

Thompson of Symantec, the Cupertino, California-based maker of Norton anti-virus software and similar tools, said software companies are frustrated by being called tax cheats and compared with companies that moved their headquarters to low-tax countries such as Bermuda.

‘Counterintuitive’

Thompson called the Obama proposals “counterintuitive” to the administration’s other stated goals of fostering an innovation-oriented economy.

“It is a little bit ironic that most of our most significant trading partners and partners globally have taken the tack that they’ll reduce corporate tax rates to stimulate economic growth and not raise corporate tax rates,” Thompson said.

Shuster's statement on the May jobs report

Congressman Bill Shuster released the following statement after the Department of Labor released its May jobs report, which showed that unemployment increased to 9.4 percent – the highest unemployment rate since 1983, a quarter century ago:

The unemployment rate has now exceeded the estimate of President Obama’s chief economist who said that unemployment would only hit 9 percent if Congress failed to pass the trillion dollar stimulus plan. Congress passed the stimulus four months ago and jobs continue to be lost across the country.

Today’s unemployment rate is a painful reminder that jobs will not be created in the private sector when the public sector follows a path of reckless spending, higher taxes and burdensome regulation. 2.5 million Americans lost their jobs this year. Those who still have a job are watching their Congress squander their tax dollars on a trillion dollar stimulus that hasn’t created jobs, $400 billion on a bloated omnibus bill and billions more taking over General Motors.

There is a better way to rebuild our economy than soaking the middle class through deficit spending and higher taxes. We need to get government out of the way of our recovery. I support my Republican colleagues who want to cut taxes, curb spending, control the debt and help Americans save more of their money.

Where did all those 'saved jobs' go?

Some sobering economic numbers:

Since Obama Took Office, The U.S. Economy Has Lost More Than 2,180,000 Jobs. www.bls.gov

In May 2009, The Unemployment Rate Jumped To 9.4 Percent, the highest since 1983. www.bls.gov

When Obama Took Office In January 2009, The Unemployment Rate Was 7.6 Percent. www.bls.gov

The National Association For Business Economists Predicted That The U.S. Would Lose 4.5 Million Jobs In 2009. (Steve Holland, "100 Days Later, Is The Stimulus Paying Off?" Reuters, 5/27/09)

Obama As CEO: Immediately Cut More Than 21,000 Jobs

On Monday, Obama Announced His GM Plan That Made The Federal Government The Majority Shareholder. "The government-orchestrated shrinkage will cost taxpayers $30 billion, on top of $20 billion in U.S. funds already put into the company. In exchange, the U.S. will own 60% of the new GM. In all, the rescue of the car industry could cost taxpayers close to $100 billion." (Neil King Jr. and Sharon Terlep, "GM Collapses Into Government's Arms," The Wall Street Jou rnal, 6/2/09)

The Same Day, GM Announced That It Will Cut About 21,800 Jobs By 2011.

Obama Promised That His Stimulus Package Would Save Or Create 3 To 4 Million Jobs. "Obama had vowed the stimulus would save or create 3 million to 4 million jobs in about two years when he pushed it through the Democratic-controlled U.S. Congress in February." (Steve Holland, "100 Days Later, Is The Stimulus Paying Off?" Reuters, 5/27/09)

The Administration Claims That The Stimulus Has "Saved" Nearly 150,000 Jobs To Date. (Steve Holland, "100 Days Later, Is The Stimulus Paying Off?" Reuters, 5/27/09)

But Since Obama Took Office, The U.S. Economy Has Lost More Than 2,180,000 Jobs. www.bls.gov

Jobs coming to Blair County

Congressman Shuster joined Governor Rendell and local Blair County officials to announce the creation of 480 jobs in Altoona.  

More information on the announcement can be read here.