Feingold’s Stimulus Funds Lobbying
[Oshkosh, WI] In 2009, Russ Feingold voted for a stimulus bill he said would create jobs and pontificated that the funds should be spent wisely. But since that time Wisconsin has lost more than 78,000 jobs, Feingold is defending his vote, and a new report details 100 egregious examples of unwise stimulus spending.
Senator Feingold’s stimulus bill has provided nearly $200,000 a San Francisco non-profit organization, called Pacific Environment, to help indigenous Siberian communities become grassroots lobbyists. The experimental applied science project assists indigenous Siberian communities in engaging Russian policymakers in local civic and environmental issues, in what Pacific environment labels “high-risk, high return.”
These stimulus funds that were promised by Senator Feingold to help spur job creation have instead been used towards an experimental lobbying project.
“It’s bad enough that Senator Feingold uses lobbyists in his own campaign ads, but now he is using stimulus funds to help teach Siberian communities to become lobbyists as well,” said Juston Johnson, Campaign Manager for Ron Johnson for Senate. “Senator Feingold is out of touch with workers and families in Wisconsin, who need job creation, not wasteful spending.”
The Johnson Campaign will be highlighting wasteful stimulus spending projects Russ Feingold believes are getting the job done for Wisconsin families until Election Day.
Stimulus Facts:
Feingold Said “Stimulus” Must Be Spent Wisely. “Now that the economic recovery package has been signed into law, our focus must be on the challenges ahead, including getting our fiscal house in order and making sure that there is strong oversight of these taxpayer dollars. These funds must be spent wisely if they are to truly work for Wisconsin’s families.” (Editorial, “Russ Feingold: Stimulus Package Makes Sense,” La Crosse Tribune, 2/25/2009.)
Three days prior to the signing of the stimulus, Senator Feingold issued a press release saying the stimulus would create 2.4 million jobs in the first year, and about nine million jobs in the first three years. (Senator Russ Feingold, ”Statement of U.S. Russ Feingold On The Economic Recovery Package,” Feingold Press Office, February 10, 2009.)
Feingold Provided the 60th Vote for the Stimulus Package. (H.R. 1, 2009 Roll Call #64: Adopted 60-38, 2/13/09, Feingold Voted Yea)
The National Economy has lost over 2.5 Million jobs since the stimulus was signed. (Source, Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov,, Accessed August 6, 2010)
Since the Stimulus was signed, the State of Wisconsin has lost more than 78,000 jobs. (Source, Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed August 20, 2010)
Feingold Defends Stimulus Vote. “I don’t apologize for those votes. Those were the right votes.” (“Feingold defends voting record, Hudson Star Observer, 7/28/2010)
New Report Details Misdirected Stimulus Spending. “Stimulus money is going toward iPods for high school students in Utah, cell phones for smokers trying to quit in Washington, D.C., and advertising devoted to the promotion of … the stimulus. The findings are part of a 74-page report put out by a pair of Republican senators who contend the $862 billion program is fraught with needless spending.” (“New GOP Report Details Misdirected Stimulus Spending, Associated Press, 8/3/2010)
