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Rep. Cole's Reaction to Bogus Stimulus Numbers

November 18, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Congressman Tom Cole provided the following comments after hearing reports that the web site that tracks spending from the nearly $800 billion stimulus bill, Recovery.gov, misreported the number of Congressional districts in the state of Oklahoma.

Fox News reported that jobs were listed as created in nine Oklahoma Congressional districts. Currently, the state only has five Congressional districts. In addition, ABC News reported that "recovery.gov lists more than $19 million in spending - and 15 jobs created - in yet more congressional districts that don't exist" within Oklahoma.

"These inaccuracies are either the result of gross incompetence or deliberate dishonesty," Congressman Cole said. "But either way, it points out the fact that the stimulus has been a disappointing failure. The Obama Administration claimed it would create millions of new jobs, yet our national unemployment rate has skyrocketed to over ten percent. And their obvious inability to track the money and measure its results accurately should be deeply disturbing to the American taxpayer - especially in light of the attempted government takeover of our health care system. If the government can't run a web site, do we really trust them to run our nation's health care system?"

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