Feingold’s Stimulus Funds Museum Exhibits
[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.
The Army Corps of Engineers spent $430,695 of stimulus funds to hire a graphics design firm to design and build interpretive exhibits showing the history of the Mississippi River at the National Great Rivers Museum in St. Louis. The exhibits are also used to “enhance the public’s understanding of the Corps’ mission for water resource development.”
Instead of creating jobs in Wisconsin, these stimulus funds were used for lucrative contracts to create museum exhibits and help enhance the image of the Army Corps of Engineers.
“Spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on new exhibits in a museum isn’t exactly what I would categorize as a jump-start to the economy,” said Juston Johnson, Campaign Manager for Ron Johnson for Senate. “While Senator Feingold is authorizing taxpayer funds for new exhibits in Missouri, Wisconsin continues to see job loss and a poor economy.”
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)
