Thread: GOP Sets Up National 'Stimulus-Watch' Programs

GOP Sets Up National 'Stimulus-Watch' Programs
Thursday, February 19, 2009 4:01 PM

WASHINGTON – Republicans are preparing to pounce on any wasteful spending in the $787 billion stimulus package as they refocus their criticisms of a measure whose success could hurt their 2010 election prospects.

President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats also promise rigorous oversight, including a new Web site to help people track various projects funded by the massive bill. But the two parties will reap different political rewards if they find waste or abuse, which is virtually inevitable when the government tries to spend so much money so fast, authorities say.

Democrats want the plan to unfold as smoothly as possible, because voters see it as the product of their party and Obama. Congressional Republicans, however, opposed the bill almost unanimously, and any embarrassing examples of misused funds or other shortcomings will let them say, "I told you so."

House Republicans are setting up "a stimulus-watch program" that will allow watchdog groups and private citizens to report findings as contractors and agencies start spending billions of dollars on roads, schools, renewable energy projects and other initiatives, said House GOP Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia.

"We'll be taking a look in detail" and "really providing accountability and transparency," Cantor said in an interview Wednesday.

House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio said in a statement: "House Republicans are concerned about the potential for abuse of taxpayer funds in the massive trillion-dollar spending bill that the president signed into law this week. ... We will remain vigilant in our oversight efforts."

Some GOP lawmakers and aides say that even relatively small examples of spending abuse will feed conservative talk shows and fuel criticism of the plan's implementation, just as a handful of dubious items in the bill helped House Republicans mock it and stay united against it. Only three Senate Republicans voted for the bill, giving it the minimum needed for passage.

Democratic leaders say Republicans have painted themselves into a corner, and they can convince voters of their wisdom only if the stimulus package fails to stabilize the economy. In other words, the Democrats' thinking goes, Republican lawmakers have every incentive to find fault, fraud and failure in a plan the White House touts as Americans' best hope for saving jobs, homes and retirement accounts.

"It's one thing to do everything you can to hold people accountable," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who chairs the Democrats' House campaign committee. "It's another thing for your strategy to bank on cronyism and abuse. It is a very cynical approach."

GOP Rep. Darrell Issa of California said Republicans want the economy to improve as much as anyone does, even if it allows Democrats to claim credit. But as the top Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, he is trying to exceed Democrats in holding the government accountable for the stimulus bill's spending.

If the much-maligned financial sector bailout is a guide, then "unchecked efforts to rapidly spend billions of dollars involve significant risks of waste, fraud and abuse," Issa said in a letter to the inspectors general of the major federal agencies. The letter asks several questions, including, "Is the Office of Inspector General implementing any initiative to preemptively combat waste, fraud and abuse?"

The Defense Department, which spends huge amounts of money at home and abroad, has been accused of numerous lapses over the years, although the infamous $600 hammer was more myth than reality, officials say.

The self-described watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense says that under the new stimulus bill, "some federal agencies are seeing their budgets doubled or more. Coupled with the demand for speed, it is easy to foresee billions of dollars being wasted."

In many places the federal government lacks the resources it needs to prepare the way for efficient contracts, said Stan Z. Soloway, president of the Professional Services Council, a trade group for government contractors.

"We have a shortage of engineering skills, a shortage of cost-and-pricing skills," said Soloway, a former deputy undersecretary of defense. The Obama administration is taking well-meaning steps to oversee the spending, but some irregularities are inevitable, he said, and people should try to learn details before jumping to conclusions of fraud.

The White House has established a Web site, Recovery.gov, designed to help Americans track projects funded by the stimulus bill. Obama says in a video: "The size and scale of this plan demand unprecedented efforts to root out waste, inefficiency and unnecessary spending. Recovery.gov will be the online portal for these efforts, publishing information about how the funding secured by the legislation will be spent in a timely, targeted and transparent manner."

His oversight efforts are off to a slow start elsewhere, however. The stimulus spending is to be monitored by an oversight board of high-ranking officials and chaired by the newly created post of chief performance officer. Obama is trying to fill the job after his first choice, Nancy Killefer, withdrew because of tax problems.

http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/gop_st ... 83494.html

Most of the Americans people will soon find out that the Stimulus Bill is desgined to help Obama's "'Special Interest" groups, period.

I don't know what the Republicans can do short of violence to stop Obama's run away corruption train that's destined to head us over a cliff.

You know if you Republicans had stood up like this when Jorge Bush was doing the exact same things, we wouldn't have BO in the White House and we wouldn't have a Democratic controlled Congress. How much do you want to bet had McCain been president and did the same thing that 95 percent of these same Republicans would be all for it and not one of them would complain?

It's nice that you guys stand up now and pretend to care about us, but you should have been doing this when that rotten SOB Jorge Bush was running our country into the ground. I'm glad your doing what your doing Republicans, but don't think for one second that I'm fooled into thinking you care and aren't just merely doing this to win back control of office because I know better.

Where was all this talk about accountability when that rotten snake Jorge Bush stole 700 billion out of our pockets to give to his robber barron buddies on Wall St and not a damn one of you knows where the money went? For all we know it could all be in Henry Paulson's Swiss bank account. Where was all this talk about accountability when the spending was through the roof and our debts were spiraling out of control? Where was all this talk about accountability when our borders remain wide open to millions of illegals from all over the world 8 freaking years after 9-11? You guys are no better than the crooks who are in charge now.

Originally Posted by ELE

Most of the Americans people will soon find out that the Stimulus Bill is desgined to help Obama's "'Special Interest" groups, period.

I don't know what the Republicans can do short of violence to stop Obama's run away corruption train that's destined to head us over a cliff.

I heard on a cable show yesterday that the Republicas were setting sights on 2010 elections to win
more seats when people are MORE p*ssed at Democrats/Obama.
Then they plan to put a stop to the money not spent yet. Sounds good to me!!!

Originally Posted by dman1200

You know if you Republicans had stood up like this when Jorge Bush was doing the exact same things, we wouldn't have BO in the White House and we wouldn't have a Democratic controlled Congress. How much do you want to bet had McCain been president and did the same thing that 95 percent of these same Republicans would be all for it and not one of them would complain?

It's nice that you guys stand up now and pretend to care about us, but you should have been doing this when that rotten SOB Jorge Bush was running our country into the ground. I'm glad your doing what your doing Republicans, but don't think for one second that I'm fooled into thinking you care and aren't just merely doing this to win back control of office because I know better.

Where was all this talk about accountability when that rotten snake Jorge Bush stole 700 billion out of our pockets to give to his robber barron buddies on Wall St and not a damn one of you knows where the money went? For all we know it could all be in Henry Paulson's Swiss bank account. Where was all this talk about accountability when the spending was through the roof and our debts were spiraling out of control? Where was all this talk about accountability when our borders remain wide open to millions of illegals from all over the world 8 freaking years after 9-11? You guys are no better than the crooks who are in charge now.

You said it! Where were the repubs when the first bailout happened? This is stricltly politics. They don't care about us, yet from the average Joe I still see democrat bad, republican good. They have OBVIOUSLY forgotten the past 8 years. They have BOTH destroyed this country.