Washington, DC – Today, the Senate passed an amended version of the massive spending package disguised as a stimulus bill by a vote of 61-37.  According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the bill will cost $838 billion, not including the estimated $350 billion in interest that will be incurred to borrow the money.  Congressman Frank Lucas opposed this irresponsible spending bill when it was proposed in the House.

“I am disappointed by the Senate’s passage of the so-called ‘stimulus’ package today.  While I was encouraged by the bipartisan work being done in the Senate, this bill is still filled with too many pork projects and there is not enough job creation for the huge cost. The American people deserve a stimulus package that will actually stimulate the economy, not a trillion dollar spending bill crammed with unnecessary projects.

“House Republicans proposed a plan that will do just that: create twice 6.2 million jobs over the next two years at half the cost of Speaker Pelosi’s spending package.  In fact, in Oklahoma alone, the Republican plan will create 73,000 jobs as opposed to 42,000 jobs in Speaker Pelosi’s plan.  This responsible stimulus plan focuses on cutting taxes and creating jobs without excessive spending measures that will do nothing to stimulate our economy.

“This country needs serious economic recovery legislation that will ensure job creation without strapping our children and grandchildren with another trillion dollars in debt.  I hope that Speaker Pelosi and her leadership team will reach across the aisle and look for a bipartisan answer to our current economic problems.”

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