In 2008, then-Governor Joe Manchin told West Virginians that he would be supporting Barack Obama’s $825 billion stimulus, because it was a “jobs” bill that would help repair America’s aging roads and bridges – even going so far as to say his friend, then-President-elect Obama was “not just throwing money at this [recession]. He wants to make sure there are investments and value.”
But after the bill passed the House of Representatives, it was revealed that, in fact, only 5 percent of the so-called “stimulus” was spent on infrastructure. A few months later, it was revealed that billions of dollars were given to tax cheats and millions of dollars were spent in fictitious congressional districts like a $1,000,000 project in West Virginia’s non-existent “54th Congressional District.”
Now that it’s been widely accepted that the first stimulus was a boondoggle that never lived up to Obama and Manchin’s promises, Manchin and Obama want a do-over as Democrats in the Senate will be voting on a $50 billion “infrastructure” stimulus later this week, of which Politico reports Manchin is a co-sponsor.
As The Hill reports:
President Obama’s proposal to create a national infrastructure bank and spend $50 billion on transportation to stimulate job growth will be up for a vote in the Senate this week. … The president incorporated it into his proposal for a $447 billion jobs act, which the Senate is now voting on in pieces after its rejection as a package.
“Joe Manchin and President Obama promised their original $825 billion ‘stimulus’ would focus on infrastructure projects, but rather than explaining what went wrong, Manchin wants another $50 billion in government stimulus so he and Obama can have a mulligan,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Chris Bond. “With our country’s debt at nearly $15 trillion, West Virginia simply cannot afford the job-killing, tax-and-spend experiments of Barack Obama and Joe Manchin.”
BACKGROUND
Manchin Said Obama’s Plan For An Economic Stimulus Package With Funding For Infrastructure Projects Would Jumpstart The U.S. Economy Immediately By Creating Jobs And Demand For Construction Materials. “After meetings with President-elect Barack Obama on Monday and Tuesday, Gov. Joe Manchin said he is convinced Obama will move quickly on economic stimulus packages for the states. Manchin said federal funding for highway construction and other infrastructure projects would jump-start the U.S. economy by immediately creating jobs and demand for construction materials. ‘With infrastructure projects, these jobs are ready to go tomorrow,’ Manchin said Tuesday afternoon, after Obama met with the Democratic Governors Association Monday evening and the National Governors Association Tuesday morning in Philadelphia.” (Phil Kabler, “Obama Will Help, Manchin Says,” The Charleston [WV] Gazette, 12/3/08)
“Manchin Said, ‘He’s [Obama’s] Not Just Throwing Money At This [Recession]. He Wants To Make Sure There Are Investments And Value.’” (George Hohmann, “Manchin Says Obama Here To Help,” Charleston [WV] Daily Mail, 12/3/08)
