House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Thursday that he would support the recent announcement by the White House to provide senior citizens with a check for $250 if the move was payed for with Recovery Act funds.

“The stimulus bill is not working,” said Boehner during a press briefing. “If we’re going provide this benefit to our seniors, why don’t we take it from stimulus funds that clearly aren’t getting the job done?” (0:14)

 

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Travis Martinez, University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Thursday that he would support the recent announcement by the White House to provide senior citizens with a check for $250 if the move was payed for with Recovery Act funds.

“The stimulus bill is not working,” said Boehner during a press briefing. “If we’re going provide this benefit to our seniors, why don’t we take it from stimulus funds that clearly aren’t getting the job done?”

The White House suggested the $250 early Wednesday to counter the lack of a cost of living increase in funds received by Social Security recipients.

Boehner was joined Thursday by Senate Minoirty Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who disparaged the direction the health care debate has taken.

McConnell called upon his Democratic colleagues to slow down the health care reform process, pointing to the length of time it took the Senate to tackle other crucial issues.

“Some would argue that [health care reform] is a bigger issue than No Child Left Behind. We spent seven weeks on that,” McConnell said. “Some would argue that this is a bigger issue than Energy, we spent eight weeks on that.”

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) took issue with President Barack Obama’s decision to travel to Copenhagen to rally support for bringing the Olympics to Chicago.

“While the President is in Copenhagen tomorrow, the American people are going to wake up and find out that hundreds and thousands of more Americans have lost their jobs,” said Boehner.

 

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Justin Duckham-Talk Radio News Service

Republicans have attacked the public option with phrases like “death panels” and “government takeover,” but House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) invoked a new term Thursday: “garlic milkshake.”

“I’m still trying to find the first American to talk to who is in favor of the public option,” Boehner said during a press conference. “This is about as unpopular as a garlic milkshake.”

“I haven’t tried it,” Boehner added.

The Minority Leader criticized a number of other items ranked high on Congressional Democrats’ agenda, including cap-and-trade legislation, which Boehner claimed would be a key contributors to job loss.

Boehner also touched upon the recent proposal from Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) to remove Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) from his chairmanship position with the House Ways and Means Committee.

“It’s improper for Chairman Rangel to remain in his position with all of the influence that he has while the serious allegations remain hanging,” Boehner said. “Given the severity of these charges, Democrat leaders should ask Chairman Rangel to step aside.”

The Ohio Republican took issue with President Barack Obama’s decision to travel to Copenhagen to rally support for bringing the Olympics to Chicago as well.

“While the President is in Copenhagen tomorrow, the American people are going to wake up and find out that hundreds and thousands of more Americans have lost their jobs,” said Boehner.

The Minority Leader reiterated his desire to have General Stanley McChrystal, who commands U.S. forces in Afghanistan, testify before Congress.

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said that President Obama will claim in his press conference Wednesday evening that health care reform will allow Americans to keep their plan. However, Boehner says that the proposal will actually force Americans into using the government plan. (:31)

 

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During a press conference Thursday, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) warned that the proposed reforms to the U.S. health care system may lead to further job loss.

“When you raise the cost of employment…you get less employees. There’s no question that their proposal raises the costs of employers to have employees, because it requires all employers to have health care,” Boehner explained (0:15)

 

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During a press conference Thursday, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) apparent claim that she was not briefed by the CIA over enhanced interrogation techniques is “way over the top” (0:23)

 

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House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said during a press conference Thursday, that had his party been put in charge of the economic recovery efforts, they would have been able to have saved at least twice as many jobs (0:20)

 

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By Justin Duckham-Talk Radio News Service

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) claimed during a press conference Thursday that if the economic recovery efforts were placed in the hands of Congressional Republicans, at least twice as many jobs would have been created.

“Our projections…would be that we would have created twice as many jobs, at half the cost. Given the fact that unemployment continues to rise, we probably could have created ten times as many jobs as [Congressional Democrats] have.”

Boehner claimed that he had based the conclusion off the same method the White House is currently using to compose their statistics.

The House Minority Leader warned that the upcoming health care reform will contribute to further job loss.

“This isn’t hard to figure out. When you raise the cost of employment…you get less employees. There’s no question that their proposal raises the costs of employers to have employees, because it requires all employers to have health care,” Boehner explained.

The Department of Labor recently released a report showing that 9.5% of Americans are currently unemployed.

Boehner also attacked Congressional Democrats’ management of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“16 million of the stimulus money was appropriated to take care of the salt marsh harvest mouse,” said Boehner, who appeared alongside a picture of the endangered rodent based in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) district. “People a hundred miles away have farms that are drying up because they wouldn’t use any stimulus money to turn on the pumps.”

By Mariko Lamb, Talk Radio News Service

Chris Redfern, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman, and Hari Sevugan, Democratic National Committee Press Secretary, denied claims made by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) that his home state was not receiving construction projects from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“Multiple independent fact checking organizations have now found that John Boehner went on national TV and lied about the jobs that are being created in his home state–to score some cheap political points–and he continues to do so through his tax payer funded office,” said Sevugan.

According to research organizations, including PolitiFact and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, 52 projects worth $84 million were lined up to boost Ohio’s economy at the time of Boehner’s public statements.

“He ought to be ashamed of himself. He ought to apologize to people of his district and the rest of the state for bashing the jobs that are being saved and created there by the Recovery Act,” said Sevugan.

Chairman Redfern said that locals are pleased that stimulus dollars are being invested in Ohio and that jobs will be created and retained.

“John really needs to get home and listen to people in his district,” he advised.