John Boehner - 8th District of Ohio

Nine jobs “saved or created” for $900?  That is a feat one shoe store owner in Campbellsville, KY initially reported accomplishing as part of the federal government’s “double and even triple-checked” trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ data. Turns out he made nine pairs of boots for members of the Army Corps of Engineers. 

What about those “couple of hundreds” of jobs ‘saved’ in Columbus City Schools?  The district now says many of those jobs “wouldn’t have been lost in the first place, and others might not have been lost at all.”  Anecdotes like these are quickly becoming legion as the American people get a closer look at how – and why – the trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ isn’t working even as it piles up more debt on our kids and grandkids. 

According to an analysis in today’s Wall Street Journal, “the number of jobs the Obama administration credits to federal stimulus money could be overstated by at least 20,000 of the 640,000 claimed.”  These phony statistics have exposed President Obama’s signature domestic spending initiative on at least three fronts: 

• WHERE ARE THE JOBS?  The trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ has failed to create jobs immediately and keep the unemployment rate below eight percent, as the Obama Administration promised it would.  Since the ‘stimulus’ was signed into law, roughly three million private sector jobs have been lost and joblessness has risen to near double digits.  It’s not just the amount of jobs at issue, but the type as well.  Despite President Obama’s pledge that 90% of stimulus job creation would occur in the private sector, this new data shows that the clear majority of jobs ‘created or saved’ were in the public sector.

The Detroit News says in an editorial, “The Obama administration is attempting to spin the tepid job creation sparked by the $787 billion federal stimulus program into an economic success.  But the numbers don’t add up to a good return for taxpayers. … Policy should be based on real numbers, not propaganda.”  That’s why Republicans have proposed better solutions to help small businesses create jobs and get the economy moving again.

• LOSING PUBLIC CONFIDENCE ON EVE OF GOV’T TAKEOVER OF HEALTH CARE.  The Obama Administration’s fumbling of the trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ certainly does not bode well for Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) 1,990-page government takeover, which creates 111 new federal bureaucracies.  Despite the trillion-dollar ‘stimulus,’ last week’s NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey found that fewer than three in 10 Americans believe the government has done the right amount to get the economy moving again.  In the most recent ABC News/Washington Post survey, a majority of Americans say President Obama’s economic program isn’t making the economy better.  And now disapproval of the President’s handling of health care has reached its highest levels, according to a new CNN poll.  Republicans have proposed better solutions to make health care more affordable and accessible at a price our nation can afford.

• TRANSPARENCY FAIL.  The Obama Administration has made a mockery of government transparency after several small businesses and municipalities have attributed significant discrepancies in their reporting to a lack of diligence on the part of federal bureaucrats.  One Wyoming official tells the Casper Star-Tribune she received “different and frequently conflicting advice from different federal agencies about how to calculate the number of jobs the stimulus program has created in the state.”  USA TODAY featured the story of a Texas housing official who was told by federal officials his initial claim of six jobs ‘created or saved’ “wasn’t right.”  He instead reported the number of hours the roofers worked – 450 – as the jobs figure.  That represents an increase of a factor of 75.  The day the data was released, the Vice President admitted it was “not 100% accurate.”

The Appleton (WI) Post-Crescent says, “one of the problems with the federal stimulus spending is that it’s hard to figure out just what, if anything, is getting stimulated.”   Republicans are at the forefront of an unprecedented effort to bring much-needed sunlight and transparency to the process by which bills become laws.

“Take these claims with a grain of salt,” the Corvallis (OR) Gazette-Times said in its Sunday editorial, “and with an eye on a relatively straightforward statistic, the unemployment rates for both Oregon and the United States.”  The latest unemployment figures will be released at the end of this week.

In an appearance this morning on CNN’s State of the Union, Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) challenged Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to allow a debate and vote on the Republican plan to make health care more affordable and accessible at a price our nation can afford.  Boehner outlined the GOP's smart, fiscally responsible reforms in the weekly Republican address after Speaker Pelosi unveiled a 1,990-page government takeover of health care that raises taxes, destroys jobs, and cuts Medicare benefits for seniors.  On the economy, Boehner noted that the trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ isn’t working and asked, ‘where are the jobs?’ On Afghanistan, Boehner reiterated his concerns about the dangers of delaying a decision on U.S. troop levels.  Lastly, Boehner stated his opposition to the Obama Administration’s decision to provide H1N1 vaccinations to Gitmo detainees before vulnerable American populations.  Following are full video and key excerpts from Boehner’s interview with State of the Union host John King:
                                                                          

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BOEHNER CHALLENGES SPEAKER PELOSI TO ALLOW A VOTE ON GOP HEALTH CARE PLAN:

“What I’m hopeful for is to take these eight or nine ideas and put them together in a bill that’s being scored right now by the Congressional Budget Office and present it on the House floor during this debate.  And I’m hopeful that Speaker Pelosi will allow us to offer an alternative.  But what we do is we try to make the current system work better.   We take a step-by-step approach by allowing people to buy insurance across state lines, allowing small businesses and other groups of individuals to group together for the purpose of buying health insurance at lower costs – like big businesses and unions can.  We need to do something about junk lawsuits.  I think that one of our proposals is to give grants to states who have innovative programs to help bring down the cost of health insurance.

“And, 34 states, today, have high-risk pools for those with pre-existing conditions.  We want to encourage all states to have these.  And we put more money into these high-risk pools so that we can bring down the cost of health insurance.  And at the end of the day, what we’re doing with our proposal is lowering health care insurance premiums – lowering cost and expanding access. … I would hope that the Speaker would allow us to have a debate and a vote on our proposal.”

BOEHNER SAYS THE TRILLION-DOLLAR ‘STIMULUS’ ISN’T WORKING, ASKS ‘WHERE ARE THE JOBS?’:

“The President said that when he signed the bill that unemployment would not exceed eight percent.  Now, we have unemployment at nearly 10 percent.  He also said that jobs would be created immediately and the fact is, they haven’t.  Most of the so-called jobs that have been saved or created are government jobs, even though the President promised that 90 percent of these jobs would be private sector jobs.  Three million Americans have lost their jobs since the ‘stimulus’ was signed into law.  And yes, the economy grew last month.  But after $1 trillion of an economic ‘stimulus’ plan was spent, probably another $7 or $8 trillion that the Fed has pumped into the economy, I would hope that we’ve seen some economic growth.  But Americans all around the country continue to ask the question, ‘where are the jobs?’”

BOEHNER EXPRESSES CONCERNS ABOUT DELAY IN PRESIDENT'S DECISION ON FUTURE OF U.S. STRATEGY IN AFGHANISTAN:

“The President made clear that we are not going to withdraw from Afghanistan.  But it looked for every reason in the world to put off a decision.  And, the longer this decision hangs, the more jeopardy and the more danger our troops on the ground there are in the middle of. … I’m concerned about this delay.  I would hope that the President would make a decision and make it soon.”

BOEHNER OPPOSES OBAMA ADMINISTRATION PLAN TO PROVIDE H1N1 VACCINATIONS TO GITMO DETAINEES:

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.  The Administration probably didn’t think it would be very popular either, that’s why they announced it on Friday night.  We have prisoners in my home county who are going to get H1N1 shots while there are vulnerable populations who want the shots who can’t get them.  I just think that’s wrong.”

In an appearance on Fox’s On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) outlined the impact of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) 1,990-page government takeover of health care that costs Americans at least $1.1 trillion.  Boehner noted that Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill will raise the cost of health insurance for most American families, kill jobs with new tax increases and new mandates, and cut seniors’ Medicare benefits.  Boehner also highlighted the better solutions House Republicans are offering to lower health care costs for seniors, working families, and small businesses.  Following are the full video and excerpts from the interview:
 
                                                                                    
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BOEHNER ON SPEAKER PELOSI’S 1,990-PAGE GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER OF HEALTH CARE:

“Speaker Pelosi’s 1,990-page bill is going to raise the cost of health insurance for most American families.  It’s going to raise the cost of health insurance, new mandates, new taxes.  I think it’s just – it’s a monstrosity.  And it’s exactly what the American people have been telling the Congress for months that they don’t want. They don’t want government control of their health care, and that’s exactly what this is.”

BOEHNER ON HOUSE REPUBLICANS’ BETTER SOLUTIONS TO LOWER COSTS AND INCREASES ACCESS TO QUALITY CARE:

“Well, if you look at their plan, it’s not just the so-called public option that’s there to compete with private insurance companies.  You know, I used to run a small business.  I can compete with people in the private sector, but I could never compete with the government.  They have no cost to capital.  They write all the rules.  They set the premiums.  And what’s going to happen is they’re going to drive every private health insurance company out of business.

“Republicans have much better ideas, I think, that would take the current system and make it work better.  And over the coming days, you’re going to hear an awful lot about the specifics of what we would do to lower the cost of health insurance in America and really do this in a step-by-step gradual process.”

BOEHNER ON THE JOB-KILLING TAX HIKES IN SPEAKER PELOSI’S HEALTH CARE BILL:

“Well, if you look at the employer mandate – if you’re an employer that has over a $500,000 payroll annually, you either have to provide health insurance under their proposal or you pay an eight percent tax to the federal government.  Many employers pay more than eight percent to cover the cost of their employees’ health insurance.  Some of them – all of them are going to have to have their plans re-reviewed by the federal government to make sure that they’re, quote, ‘adequate.’

“Many employers are just going to give up and they’re going to get rid of their employer-provided health care plans, pay the eight percent tax and let their employees go fend out in the private market or in this so-called government option.  But what will happen is we’re raising the cost of employment at a time when unemployment is at near record highs.  What we ought to be doing is helping employers bring back employees, get our economy going again.  And here we are taxing employment, which means that we’re going to end up with less numbers of employees in America.”

BOEHNER ON HOW SPEAKER PELOSI’S HEALTH CARE BILL WILL PILE MORE DEBT ON THE BACKS OF OUR KIDS AND GRANDKIDS:

“1,990 pages – now, tell me – tell me that this isn’t going to add to the deficit.  They have all these estimates that try to predict what’s going to happen over the next 20 years or so with the cost of this plan.  But this is the government making these estimates.

“You know, I remember when Medicare was passed.  I’ve looked at the estimates.  The Medicare cost estimate for this year is one thirty-fifth of what it actually is.  And so when the federal government gets involved, the American people know what to expect.  It’s going to cost a lot more.  The federal government is going to end up making more decisions for the American people and get into the relationship between doctors and their patients.  This is exactly what the American people are saying no to.”

BOEHNER ON THE $500 BILLION IN SENIORS’ MEDICARE CUTS IN SPEAKER PELOSI’S HEALTH BILL:

“Well, there are $500 million worth of Medicare cuts over the next 10 years.  The most significant change is the $162 billion cut to Medicare Advantage.  You know, I’ve got 27,000 Medicare enrollees in my district.  And according to the Congressional Budget Office, about 80 percent of them would lose their coverage under this proposal.  My seniors love their Medicare Advantage plans.  And remember, the President said no one will be forced from the insurance policy they have today. If they like it, they can keep it…that’s not true.”

Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) today issued the following statement after the Department of Commerce announced that the real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 3.5 percent in the third quarter of 2009:

“Any positive signs for our economy are welcome, but a jobless recovery is not what the American people were promised. President Obama and his economic team said the trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ would create jobs immediately and keep the unemployment rate below eight percent. Since then, roughly three million jobs have been lost and unemployment has risen to near 10 percent.

“For millions of out-of-work families struggling to make ends meet, this recession feels far from over. Yet even now, after the Obama Administration’s top economist has stated that the ‘stimulus’ already had its greatest impact on the economy, Washington Democrats are intent on staying the course and trying to spend, tax, and borrow their way to prosperity. Republicans have proposed fiscally responsible solutions to help small businesses create good-paying jobs and get our economy moving again.”

THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION ON JOBS AND THE ECONOMY:

• President Obama: “This is something that I ask every single one of my economic advisers every single day, because I know that ultimately the measure of an economy is, ‘is it producing jobs.’” (CNN’s “State of the Union, 9/20/09)

• Jared Bernstein, Vice President Biden’s chief economist: "Absent robust job growth, it is not a true economic recovery.” (AP, 10/27/09)

• “Stimulus’ big boost to the economy? It already happened. White House economist Christina Romer said Thursday that the stimulus package's impact on the economy will weaken from here on.” (The Christian Science Monitor, 10/23/09)

HOUSE REPUBLICANS’ SOLUTIONS TO HELP SMALL BUSINESSES CREATE JOBS:

• Allow small businesses to take a tax deduction equal to 20 percent of their income.
• Let small businesses join together to purchase health insurance for their workers the way large businesses and labor unions do.
• Enact genuine legal reform and policies that incentivize wellness to reduce health care costs for small businesses.
• Lower taxes for all taxpayers by reducing the current 15 percent rate to 10 percent and reducing the current 10 percent rate to 5 percent. This will provide an immediate increase in income to every taxpaying family in America and free up capital to help small businesses hire more workers.
• Expand health savings accounts (HSAs) to provide additional flexibility to small businesses in providing health care to their employees.
• Increase the net operating loss carry back from 2 to 5 years to provide struggling employers with additional resources to keep their doors open.

NOTE: These proposals, some of which were presented to President Obama as early as his first week in office, were developed by House

Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) released the following web video today, where he discussed how Democrat health care plans before Congress will hurt senior citizens, and highlighted Republican solutions to lower costs and increase access to quality health care.

 
Boehner says:

"In the debate over health care reform, Republicans are offering a number of proposals for a truly bipartisan bill that would lower costs and increase access to quality health care.  Specifically, our plans would extend coverage to those with pre-existing conditions, encourage home care and wellness, and expand access to community health centers...

Despite our offers to work together, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Harry Reid are pushing ahead with backroom negotiations to draw up a trillion-dollar government takeover of health care from several Democratic bills.  These plans include a number of troubling proposals that all seniors need to be aware of, including a $500 billion cut to Medicare, and a $172 billion cut to Medicare Advantage."

To learn more about Republican plans for significant, bipartisan health care reform, visit healthcare.gop.gov

Boehner Discusses Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s Plan for a Government-Run “Public Option”

“I don’t see any provision that allows Medicare recipients to opt-out of Medicare cuts, nor do I see an opportunity for taxpayers to opt-out of paying higher taxes.  This is just some smoke and mirrors to try and convince Senate members to vote for this.”

“We are only talking about one little piece of the bill.  We still have 53 boards, commissions, agencies, mandates and bureaucracies in this bill. It is going to require tens of thousands of new government employees.  All of this is the camel’s nose under the tent, if you will, toward a single-payer government-run health care system.”

Boehner Says Democrats’ Closed-Door Health Care Negotiations Ought to be Open to the Public

“One of the reasons why we are going to continue to push this transparency agenda is that the American people need to know about what happens in our government.  They ought to have 72 hours to read a bill before it comes to the floor of the house, bills that come out of committee ought to be posted online within 24 hours, how members vote in committee ought to be posted within 48 hours.  We call it the 24-48-72 agenda, and we still believe that these negotiations that are going on with regards to health care ought to be ought to be out in the open, the American people ought to see the conversations and the discussions – I’d like to see it myself.”

Boehner Decries “Chicago-Style Politics” Majority Party is Using To Ram Its Unpopular Jobs-Killing Agenda Through Congress

“They know that their agenda is not popular with the American people so what they are going to do is demonize their opponents.  This is Chicago-style politics. These people are engaged in a political fight that is truly beneath the dignity of the President of the United States and members of Congress.  We can have a civilized debate and argue the merits or demerits of these proposals, and we ought to do it in a way that informs the public, and doesn’t create these distractions.”

Participating in a radio Town Hall sponsored by the Ohio Christian Alliance, Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) expressed Ohioans frustration with Democrats’ jobs-killing agenda that includes a so-called “stimulus,” a “cap and trade” energy plan, and a massive government takeover of health care.  In recent days, Congressman Boehner has reminded Americans of Republican efforts to offer better solutions to create jobs and reform our health care system. To listen to the full interview, click here.

Boehner on the American People Speaking Out Against Government-Run Health Care  

“If we keep the American people engaged in this fight with us we can win.  This health care bill should have passed in June.  If they had the votes they would have passed it in July.  If they had the votes they would have passed it in September, and trust me if they would have had the votes this week, they would have passed it this week.  If we keep the American people engaged, we can stop this bill from becoming law.”

Boehner on Democrats Refusal to Work on Real Bipartisan Health Care Reform

“There has not been an opportunity to discuss this at the White House, there has not been an opportunity to discuss this at the leadership level, and frankly, I don’t know that any of our members have been in a serious conversation with Democrats.  They have a 40 vote majority in the House, they think they can do it alone, and they’re going to try to.”

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Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) released the following web video today, where he continued to urge Gov. Ted Strickland (D-OH) to oppose proposals in the Democrats’ government takeover of health care that would impose a massive unfunded mandate of at least $920 million on Ohio.

 
Boehner says:  

"Handing down unfunded mandates of this magnitude to our cash-strapped state will drain state funding for seniors, school children and force tax increases on all Ohioans.  This is no way to reform our health care system.

Why isn’t Governor Strickland standing up and speaking out against unfunded mandates that will hurt Ohio school children, taxpayers and seniors?”

RECAP: Ohio members urge Gov. Strickland to stand up for Ohio; news report shows potential impact on Ohio

With out-of-work families continuing to ask “where are the jobs,” we know that it’s the nation’s small businesses that have borne the brunt of recent job losses.  That’s one reason it’s so troubling that Democrats in Washington are pressing ahead with a costly government takeover of health care that will squeeze the nation’s entrepreneurs further, keep people out of work longer, and pile up more debt on our children and grandchildren.  At the heart of the Democrats’ plan are a massive tax increase that will fall heavily on entrepreneurs who run small businesses and a harsh mandate that requires employers to provide health care or face a steep penalty.  According to a model developed by Dr. Christina Romer, the chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, the Democrats’ health care plan will destroy as many as 5.5 million American jobs over the next 10 years.  House Republicans have proposed better solutions to help small businesses create jobs and provide quality, affordable health care to their employees.

Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester), a former small business owner, commented on how Democrats’ costly government takeover of health care will harm America’s small businesses:

DEMOCRATS’ COSTLY GOV’T TAKEOVER OF HEALTH CARE HAMMERS AMERICA’S SMALL BUSINESSES:

• Massive tax increases.   House Democrats pay for their costly government takeover of health care in part by imposing a massive new tax – up to an additional 5.4 percent – that will hit small businesses and manufacturers hard.  The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business association, commissioned a survey of small business owners and found that “the businesses that are most likely to be hit by this tax increase employ about a quarter of the U.S. work force.”  Additionally, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) found that the tax increase would affect more than two-thirds of all American manufacturers.

• Burdensome, job-killing mandates.   Democrats also want to impose burdensome mandates on businesses that cannot afford to pay for employee health care coverage deemed acceptable by Washington.  This will directly curtail job creation, according to an analysis by the Heritage Foundation: “the mandate increases the marginal cost of each additional worker, making it less likely that small businesses will hire new employees or give raises to existing ones in a weak economy.”  What’s more, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has stated that these mandates “could reduce the hiring of low-wage workers.”

• Government-run insurance company that would restrict choice and competition.  A broad-based coalition of employer groups representing almost every segment of our economy and employing millions of Americans sent a letter to Congress raising serious concerns about Democrats’ plans to create a government-run insurance company: “Another troubling provision is the creation of a new government-run insurance plan.  Employers currently suffer a significant cost-shift from existing public programs, and the program described in House legislation would significantly increase costs for every American who purchases private insurance.  We are also concerned that the government plan will not be a fair competitor, and employers will not be able to continue offering their current plans, which cover more than 170 million Americans.”

House Republicans have proposed better solutions to help small businesses create jobs and provide quality, affordable health care to their employees, including genuine legal reform, policies that incentivize wellness, and expanded health savings accounts (HSAs) to provide additional flexibility to small businesses.