Childers Speaks on Stimulus, NRCC Answers

“While it is not a perfect piece of legislation, it is necessary for uplifting hard-working families and getting our faltering economy back on track by putting Americans back to work. Right now, north Mississippians are fighting to stay employed in the face of constant plant closures, layoffs and reductions in hours. The recovery package will create and save 3.5 million jobs nationwide, invest quickly in our troubled economy, give nearly every American worker an immediate tax cut and invest in important infrastructure projects to jump-start the economy." - Congressman Travis Childers

The NRCC answers:

Last year Travis Childers promised us he would fight for fiscal responsibility…” says the radio ad that began airing in Northeast Mississippi Friday and continues for a week. “But now, just a year later, he voted for a wasteful pork barrel spending program that would cost taxpayers close to a trillion dollars.” The radio spot adds that the stimulus bill Childers voted for included millions of dollars for prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, stop-smoking programs and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Sponsored by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), versions of the spot are being aired in 30 congressional districts across the country, nine of them in the South.

Dana Edelstein, a spokesperson for Childers, who voted for the stimulus package when it first passed the house and again on final passage, told SPR the ad “is misleading.” Noting that the bottom line is about jobs, she added, “The country would probably be better off if those who ran this ad spent time working on an alternative plan rather than a radio ad. We need to do what’s necessary to protect our country right now.”