Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, like other Republicans in Congress this week, excoriated Democrats for their $26 billion extension of stimulus aid, which President Obama signed into law this week, as a state "bailout" that enables states to put off hard budget decisions. While on the House floor criticizing the aid package on Tuesday, Pence pointed to a jobs fair he hosted yesterday in his district as an example of Americans "reaching for a better future." He failed to mention, however, that a number of the employers present at the job fair were recipients of stimulus funding.
But Democrats say Pence’s job fair is yet another example of Republicans taking credit for jobs created by the stimulus while at the same time criticizing the program. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee called the House Republican leadership "blatant hypocrites."
"If such blatant hypocrites like Mike Pence, Eric Cantor, and John Boehner had their way, the jobs in their districts that they’ve been trying to take credit for wouldn’t even be there," DCCC spokesperson Ryan Rudominer said.
However, Republicans maintain that, with unemployment hovering at close to 10 percent, the president’s policies have clearly failed to create jobs.
"At this very hour more than a thousand Hoosiers are gathered at a job fair in my district," Pence said on the House floor yesterday before Democrats passed the $26 billion bill, which will provide funds for Medicaid and teacher salaries. "Some 65 companies have come together with a few cherished openings. My duty is here. But to be honest with you, I would rather be there, standing with those courageous Hoosiers who have come out, put on their Sunday best, and are reaching for a better future."
