DJOU: SPENDING AGENDA IN WASHINGTON HAS FAILED, NEW COURSE NEEDED

Washington, DC — Congressman Charles K. Djou (HI-01) released the following statement today responding to White House claims that the federal stimulus was working better than expected:

“Working families and small businesses in our islands and around the country are struggling in this difficult economy. I have witnessed the effects of this struggle firsthand throughout my district. Yet the majority in Congress continue to insist that we need to spend our way out of this recession. The number one concern that my constituents shared with me last week as I held eight town halls was the growing federal debt and runaway federal spending.

“It’s clear to the voters in Hawaii’s First Congressional District that we need to change course. The stimulus has failed: 2.4 million jobs have been lost nationwide since it was enacted and unemployment is at 9.5%.

“I have long said that what we need are more private sector jobs, not more public sector programs. In particular, we need to rein in Washington’s deficit spending and lower the tax burden for working families and small businesses alike.”

In the ten years Congressman Djou has been in public office, he has never voted for a tax increase. He has consistently and vocally advocated for a transparent and fiscally responsible government that lets working families and small businesses keep more of their hard-earned money. Since being elected to Congress and as a Member of the House Budget Committee, Congressman Djou has called for the majority in the House to actually pass a budget, noting that the fiscal path we are on is unsustainable.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the so-called “stimulus,” was enacted in February of 2009 when the national unemployment rate was 8.2% and Hawaii’s unemployment rate was 6.3%. Today, unemployment is at 9.5% nationally and remains at 6.3% in Hawaii.

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