Walt Minnick issued the following statement regarding his vote today on the American Recovery and Investment Act:
“Today I voted against the largest spending bill in U.S. history. The measure began with a tight focus on job creation and infrastructure improvements, but ballooned into a ‘something for everything’ spending proposal. With this bill, our deficit will grow to nearly two trillion dollars, and every penny we borrow will come from foreign leaders who will rapidly gain too much leverage over our economic welfare and decisions. However, we do need to invest and spend on worthwhile programs. That’s why we should craft legislation dealing with health and welfare, energy and education, permit public input and evaluate proposals thoroughly so that we spend every nickel in the most cost-effective way.”