Congressman Tom Price (R-GA) issued the following statement to correct the record after President Obama delivered a speech full of inaccuracies in Cleveland, OH today.

Government vs. the Private Sector “President Obama claims to believe in the private sector, but his entire agenda has been based on the idea that Washington knows best. From stimulus boondoggles, to taxpayer bailouts, to a government takeover of health care, his answer is always to empower government at the expense of individual liberty and free enterprise.”

Where Are the Jobs? “Even with 9.6 percent unemployment, President Obama claims his policies have put the economy back on track. So where are the jobs? Washington appears as healthy as ever, of course. Federal government payrolls have grown by 198,000 during this recession, while the private sector has shed 7.8 million jobs.”

Faux Freeze After Volcanic Eruption of Spending “The President tried to calm Americans’ nerves about trillion dollar deficits by claiming that he will freeze government spending for three years. Washington spent $3.5 trillion this year. In 2007, the last budget written by Republicans, total federal spending was $2.7 trillion. That is not a freeze; it’s a volcanic eruption.”

Annual Deficits Become Monthly Deficits “While the President decried overspending by Republicans, he fails to mention that monthly deficits under his watch now equal the annual deficits of the past. 2011 is projected to be the third straight year with a deficit over $1 trillion. As pointed out by his own advisors, we cannot afford to stay on this unsustainable path.”

Conveniently Forgetting $700 Billion Tax Hikes “The President claims he has cut taxes for most of the country. It seems he conveniently forgot about signing into law nearly $700 billion in higher taxes, some of which are targeted at low and middle income Americans. And with even more job-killing tax increases on the horizon in 2011, his story will give little comfort to struggling families and small businesses.”

Ignoring Concrete Republican Proposals to Rein in Spending “In what may have been the most disingenuous claim of all, President Obama told the crowd that Republicans haven’t offered concrete proposals to cut spending. The Republican Study Committee has offered countless proposals to cut wasteful spending. House Republicans have also partnered with the public to target specific programs via the YouCut initiative. Yet Democrats have opposed every single proposal we have brought up for a vote on the House floor.”

America at a Crossroads “The President was right about one thing today. Americans have a choice to make. Will we stand by while out-of-touch central planners in Washington smother the private sector with massive spending, taxes, debt, and red tape? Or will we recommit ourselves to the principles of free enterprise and limited, constitutional government that made this country the greatest in the world? We choose the latter.”