Washington, DC – The following is the opening statement of U.S. Rep. John Boozman (R-AR), Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member, from today’s hearing on stimulus spending in programs administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). Boozman questioned the effectiveness of some stimulus expenditures in creating jobs, and stressed the importance of oversight as national unemployment nears double digits and reports of overestimated job creation under the stimulus continue to surface.
“Whether you voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act or opposed the legislation, we in Congress have the responsibility to ensure the money is spent for its intended purposes.
“Some of the stimulus expenditures are concerning. For instance, the Administration has sent more than $2.5 million in stimulus checks to the deceased, spent $1 million to build bike lockers and a bike garage in Portland, Oregon, $1.3 million in Maine for basket makers, storytellers, and a music festival, and spent more than $9 million to restore an abandoned train depot in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
“Some might try to rationalize these expenditures, but it is hard to see how they could be as beneficial as investments in harbor maintenance, locks and dams, levee repairs, and wastewater treatment plants.
“While some have credited the stimulus package for the 3.5% growth in GDP during the last quarter, for many families in America, the recession is far from over as unemployment continues to rise.
“The National Conference on State Legislatures recently reported that 27 States are forecasting shortfalls for fiscal year 2011 that total at least $61 billion, with five more states predicting unspecified budget shortages.
“Given the fact that the transportation projects and other infrastructure projects like flood damage reduction projects and wastewater treatment projects provide economic benefits to the Nation, the Administration and the Congress should have placed a higher interest in the work of the Army Corps of Engineers and EPA’s Clean Water State revolving loan fund and Brownfields program.
“All of these projects put people to work, which is another reason to put these investments high on the priority list.
“Since the stimulus bill shortchanged infrastructure investment we have to conduct rigorous oversight on the allocation of these scarce resources and make sure that taxpayers’ money is wisely spent.
“I want to thank the Corps and the USDA for working together to expedite some projects in Arkansas. We desperately need to see more of this kind of cooperation between agencies to cut red tape and get projects moving everywhere.”
Watch Rep. Boozman’s statement on YouTube.
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