Will Tester Back Second Stimulus After Rubber-Stamping First $787 Billion Debacle?
As he helped ram President Barack Obama’s $787 billion stimulus into law, Democrat U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) promised it would “[create] millions of new jobs” and was a “big victory for middle-class folks in Montana,” while his friends in the Obama Administration projected the deficit-spending spree would hold unemployment below 8 percent.
But instead, our country has lost 2.4 million jobs since President Obama came into office and is now in its 30th consecutive month with higher-than-8-percent unemployment – while our national debt has skyrocketed to $14.5 trillion.
So where does Jon Tester stand now, as Obama calls for Montanans to foot the bill for yet another round of costly “stimulus” spending in Washington?
As Fox News reports:
In his weekly address on Saturday, President Barack Obama called for Congress to approve more money for a new—and vaguely defined—program to repair roads, bridges and airports as a means of creating jobs for construction workers… The president did not explain how loaning money to a company that wants to help repair a road, bridge or airport would cause more roads, bridges or airports to be repaired and thus necessitate the hiring of more construction workers to repair them. He also gave no details of the loan program he envisions—who would qualify for a government loan under it or on what terms the lenders would pay the taxpayers back.
Meanwhile, Obama repeated his calls for more spending in remarks at the White House today, demanding – without details or elaboration – that more borrowed Federal money be spent to “help companies who want to repair the roads and bridges and airports so that thousands of construction workers who have been without a job can get work and spur economic growth.”
“Jon Tester still thinks it was smart for Washington to borrow and spend $787 billion from China in order to lose 2.4 million American jobs, so it’s a safe bet he’ll side with President Obama once again in calling for a second round of stimulus spending on top of our $14.5 trillion debt,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Chris Bond.
Background Information:
Tester And The Democrats Promised Their Stimulus Would “Save Or Create 3.5 Million Jobs” And Was A “Big Victory For Middle-Class Folks In Montana.”
“The Obama administration is defending its claim that the $787 billion economic stimulus plan will save or create 3.5 million jobs before 2011 even while conceding that unemployment will likely continue to rise beyond its earlier predictions.” (Stimulus plan will create or save 3.5 million jobs, White House says, Associated Press, 05/11/09)
President Obama’s Economic Advisors Christina Romer And Jared Bernstein Predicted Unemployment Would Not Rise Above 8 Percent If The Stimulus Was Passed. (Christina Romer and Jared Bernstein, “The Job Impact Of The American Recovery And Reinvestment Plan,”1/9/09)
Tester Said The Stimulus Would Create “Millions Of New Jobs” And Cut Taxes “By Hundreds Of Billions Of Dollars.” “Both of Montana’s U.S. Senators today voted in favor of a plan to rebuild America’s struggling economy by creating millions of new jobs, investing in long-term infrastructure, and cutting taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars. Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester voted to pass the Jobs Bill, formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.” (Senator Jon Tester, “Baucus, Tester Vote For Final Jobs Bill, At Least $626 Million For Montana,” Press Release, 2/13/09)
Tester Called The Stimulus A “Jobs Bill,” And Said It Was A “Big Victory For Middle-Class Folks In Montana.” “‘This Jobs Bill is a big victory for middle-class folks in Montana who are paying a tough price after years of failed economic policies,’ Tester said. ‘This Jobs Bill will rebuild our economy from the ground up by putting folks to work and investing in people. We won’t get out of this mess overnight, but passing the Jobs Bill is an important first step, and it will pay us back for generations to come.’” (Senator Jon Tester, “Baucus, Tester Vote For Final Jobs Bill, At Least $626 Million For Montana,” Press Release, 2/13/09)
“‘The Word “Stimulus” Is A Washington, D.C., Word That Doesn’t Mean Much In My Book,’ Tester Said. ‘That’s Why—From Day One—I Have Called This The Jobs Bill. Because That’s Exactly What It Is. You’re Either For Jobs. Or You’re Against Jobs . . . .’” (Senator Jon Tester, “Tester To Congress: ‘You’re Either For Jobs Or Against Jobs,’” Press Release, 2/11/09)
Tester Said He Looked At The Stimulus As A “Jobs Bill,” And Said “We Needed Something To Really Put People Back To Work. I Think This Bill Does That.” MADDOW: “First of all, I know you were a big supporter of the stimulus bill. So, congratulations to you on that legislation passing the Senate today. I have to ask you if you expect to see big changes in the conference committee before the president signs it?” TESTER: “Well, I really don’t. And I really look at it as a jobs bill, Rachel. I think that, you know, when you have the unemployment rates like we’ve had over the last three months, we needed something to really put people back to work. I think this bill does that.” (MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show,” 2/10/09)
