Rep. Boehner vs. The Facts: 100 Days Edition

The Party of "NO"

Rep. Boehner: "America has lost more than two million jobs in the last three months, so this is no time for Democrats in Washington to be taking a victory lap.  It's time to hit the 'reset button' and for the Administration to begin keeping its promises of a 'new era of responsibility,' more transparency, and more bipartisan cooperation by working with Republicans to ensure that Washington is making the same sacrifices that families and small businesses are forced to make every day." [Boehner Statement, 4/28/09; emphasis added]

Rep. Boehner is quick to advise President Obama to increase "bipartisan cooperation by working with Republicans," but he would be wise to look in a mirror.  Despite the Obama administration's repeated attempts to reach across the aisle, House Republicans have refused to cooperate, sealing their fate as the party of "No."

EVERY REPUBLICAN Voted "NO" On The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act.  In 2009, every Republican voted against the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which would create or save more than 3.5 million jobs over two years.  The bill would also invest in infrastructure investment, energy efficiency and science, assistance to the unemployed, and State and local fiscal stabilization.  The bill passed 246-183.  [Recovery.org, accessed 4/15/09; HR 1, Vote #70, 2/13/09]

EVERY REPUBLICAN Voted "NO" On The 2010 Budget Resolution Containing Increased Funding For Veterans And Renewable Energy.  In 2009, every Republican voted against the House of Representatives' 2010 Budget Resolution.  The house version of the budget contained an 11.5% increase in veterans' funding, $39 billion in funding for renewable energy and energy efficiency and cuts the deficit in half over 5 years.  [HCR 85, Vote #192, 4/2/09; House Budget Committee, accessed 4/2/09]

ALL BUT THREE REPUBLICANS Voted "NO" On Equal Pay For Women.  In 2009, all but three Republicans voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.  According to MSNBC: "The measure is designed to make it easier for workers to sue for decades-old discrimination...The law effectively nullifies a 2007 Supreme Court decision that said workers had only 180 days to file a pay-discrimination lawsuit." [S 181, Vote #37, 1/27/09; MSNBC, 1/29/09]

90% OF REPUBLICANS Vote "NO" On The 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Bill.  In 2009, 90% of House Republicans voted against the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, which increases funding for renewable energy and energy efficiency efforts, makes strong investments into cutting edge science, improves access to quality healthcare, promotes our future economic strength by investing in K-12 education and helping families send their kids to college, and helps American workers in the tough economy train for and find good jobs in safe workplaces. [HR 1105, Vote #86, 2/25/09; House Appropriations Committee, accessed 4/16/09]

Ulterior Motives

Rep. Boehner: "The President's first 100 days can be summed up in three words: spending, taxing, and borrowing.  While middle-class families and small businesses struggle during this economic crisis, the Administration and Democrats in Congress have spent more taxpayer dollars in 100 days than all previous presidents have spent combined, raised taxes on middle-class families in the middle of a recession, and piled an unprecedented amount of new debt on our children and grandchildren." [Boehner Statement, 4/28/09]

The majority of Americans believe Republican opposition to President Obama's economic agenda is for purely political reasons.

NYT/CBS Poll: 70% Of Americans Believe Republicans Oppose Obama For Purely Political Reasons.  A New York Times/CBS News poll taken April 22-26, 2009, found that 70% of Americans believe Republicans have opposed President Obama on taxes and government spending for purely political reasons.  Only 23% of respondents believed Republicans opposed President Obama due to economic concerns.  [New York Times/CBS News poll, 4/22-26/09]

Boehner's Bad Math: The Sequel

Rep. Boehner: "Republicans have offered better solutions, including a stimulus plan that would create twice the jobs at half the cost of the Democrats' legislation, a fiscally-responsible budget, and plans to revitalize the housing market and rebuild Americans' savings." [Boehner Statement, 4/28/09; emphasis added]

As Media Matters Action Network has previously noted, this statement is just plain wrong.  In estimating the effect of their "jobs plan," Republicans admitted they misused a formula published in an academic paper they weren't able to understand in the first place.

GOP Admitted Jobs Figure Was "Speculative" And "Dictated By Assumptions." In a document released to explain the mathematical reasoning behind the "6.2 million jobs" claim, Republicans on the House Ways & Means Committee wrote: "Efforts to quantify the extent to which even large spending increases or tax cuts will impact future economic growth and employment are largely speculative, and the conclusions are generally dictated by the assumptions made by the authors." [House Ways and Means Republican Staff via TPM, 1/28/09; emphasis added]

GOP Said Source Document Used "Lacks Critical Details Necessary To Fully Understand." In a document released to explain the mathematical reasoning behind the "6.2 million jobs" claim, Republicans on the House Ways & Means Committee wrote, "they use a multiplier that suggests tax cuts equal to 1% of Gross Domestic Product (or 'GDP' which is a measure of national output) have a less than 1% effect on output, while spending increases of the same size have a greater that 1% effect.  The Romer-Bernstein paper lacks critical details necessary to fully understand their reasoning..." [House Ways and Means Republican Staff via TPM, 1/28/09; emphasis added]