Dems’ Stimulus: “You Didn’t Build That” Because Foreign Workers Did

July 24, 2012

Democrats’ Taxpayer-Funded Stimulus Gifted Money and Jobs to Foreign Countries

President Obama and Democrats claim they are fighting to keep jobs in America and have made quite a show of supposedly opposing outsourcing.
The Democrats’ record tells another story. Their taxpayer-funded stimulus has turned into a bonanza for outsourcing, with taxpayer money being spent to create jobs in foreign countries.
Even some Senate Democrats who supported the stimulus have expressed frustration that taxpayer dollars went to create jobs overseas instead of right here at home.

President Obama and Democrats claim they are fighting to keep jobs in America and have made quite a show of supposedly opposing outsourcing:

OBAMA VOWED HIS STIMULUS WOULD ENSURE “THE JOBS AND INDUSTRIES OF THE FUTURE ARE CREATED RIGHT HERE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”: “OBAMA: ‘Fourth, we’ll use our clean energy fund to invest over $1 billion a year to re-tool and modernize our factories and build the advanced technology cars, trucks and SUVs of the future – so that the jobs and industries of the future are created right here in the United States of America.'” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks At A Campaign Event, Dayton, OH, 7/11/2008)

“DEMOCRATS TALK OUTSOURCING TO TRY AND SAVE THEIR OWN JOBS”: (Tom Curry, “Democrats Talk Outsourcing to Try and Save Their Own Jobs,” NBC News, 10/29/2010)

DEMOCRAT LEADER NANCY PELOSI HAS ALSO OFTEN SLAMMED OUTSOURCING: “Republicans have failed to put forward a plan to create jobs or end the outsourcing of American jobs, and continue to waste valuable time on bills to nowhere.” (“Pelosi Statement on President Obama’s Call to Extend the Middle Class Tax Cuts,” Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, 7/9/2012)

OBAMA TO ENTREPRENEURS: “IF YOU’VE GOT A BUSINESS—YOU DIDN’T BUILD THAT. SOMEBODY ELSE MADE THAT HAPPEN.” (Kerry Picket, “Picket: (Video) Obama: ‘If You’ve Got a Business—You Didn’t Build That. Somebody Else Made That Happen,” The Washington Times, 7/15/2012)

The Democrats’ record tells another story. Their taxpayer-funded stimulus has turned into a bonanza for outsourcing, with taxpayer money being spent to create jobs in foreign countries:

WORKERS IN FINLAND GET STIMULUS JOBS:

FISKER WAS SUPPOSED TO SPEND STIMULUS DOLLARS ON HIRING 2,000 WORKERS IN DELAWARE: “Fisker received federal funds in part to help purchase a shuttered General Motors plant in Delaware, where it predicted it would one day employ 2,000 auto workers to assemble the clean-burning gas-electric family car, known as the Atlantic. But company executives began hinting in February that it would reconsider that plan and look for a cheaper place to build the car after the Department of Energy froze the $529 million green-energy loan the company had received, and had been drawing on since 2010.” (Matthew Mosk, “Fisker May Never Build Electric Cars In US,” ABC News, 5/30/12)

INSTEAD, ELECTRIC CAR COMPANY TAKES $529 MILLION TAXPAYER LOAN, THEN BUILDS CARS IN FINLAND: “Vice President Joseph Biden heralded the Energy Department’s $529 million loan to the start-up electric car company called Fisker as a bright new path to thousands of American manufacturing jobs. But two years after the loan was announced, the job of assembling the flashy electric Fisker Karma sports car has been outsourced to Finland.” (Brian Ross, “Car Company Gets U.S. Loan, Builds Cars in Finland,” ABC News, 10/20/2011)

COMPANY IS WELL-CONNECTED TO TOP DEMOCRATS SUCH AS AL GORE: “The loan to Fisker is part of a $1 billion bet the Energy Department has made in two politically connected California-based electric carmakers producing sporty — and pricey — cutting-edge autos. Fisker Automotive, backed by a powerhouse venture capital firm whose partners include former Vice President Al Gore, predicts it will eventually be churning out tens of thousands of electric sports sedans at the shuttered GM factory it bought in Delaware.” (Brian Ross, “Car Company Gets U.S. Loan, Builds Cars in Finland,” ABC News, 10/20/2011)

SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT THE RISKINESS OF THE LOAN AND THE COMPANY’S BUSINESS MODEL EXIST: “An investigation by ABC News and the Center for Public Integrity’s iWatch News that will air on ‘Good Morning America’ found that the DOE’s bet carries risks for taxpayers, has raised concern among industry observers and government auditors, and adds to questions about the way billions of dollars in loans for smart cars and green energy companies have been awarded. Fisker is more than a year behind rolling out its $97,000 luxury vehicle bankrolled in part with DOE money. While more are promised soon, just 40 of its Karma cars (below) have been manufactured and only two delivered to customers’ driveways, including one to movie star Leonardo DiCaprio.” (Brian Ross, “Car Company Gets U.S. Loan, Builds Cars in Finland,” ABC News, 10/20/2011)

STIMULUS MONEY ALSO HIRED WORKERS IN EL SALVADOR AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:

IN DEC. 2009 OHIO GOT $11 MILLION STIMULUS GRANT TO PROVIDE REBATES FOR GREEN APPLIANCES: “Ohio will use $11 million federal stimulus money to provide rebates to people who buy energy efficient appliances for their homes. The U.S. Department of Energy approved the state plan Thursday.” (“Ohio Stimulus Plan Gives Rebates On New Appliances,” The Associated Press, 12/4/2009)

OHIO CONTRACTED WITH TEXAS-BASED PARAGO TO RUN THE PROGRAM. “Ohio’s Department of Development contracted with Texas-based Parago to run the appliance rebate program for roughly $500,000.” (Patrick Preston, “Ohio Rebate Program Created Jobs In Texas, Central America,” NBC4I, 7/27/2010)

STIMULUS GOES TO EL SALVADOR: PARAGO HIRED HUNDREDS OF WORKERS IN EL SALVADOR UPON RECEIVING THE CONTRACT: “A Texas company hired to administer Ohio’s popular appliance rebate program used hundreds of workers in El Salvador to process applications and to answer customers’ calls.” (“Strickland Upset With Stimulus Work Outside U.S.,” The Associated Press, 8/01/2010)

WORKERS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ALSO CASHED IN ON THE STIMULUS: “The Texas company that outsourced stimulus-funded call center jobs to Central America also hired workers in the Dominican Republic. Ohio Department of Development spokesperson Katie Sabatino confirmed that Lewisville, Texas-based Parago used call centers in El Salvador and the Dominican Republic on Friday, the same day that ODOD released documents detailing how Parago won the state contract to run Ohio’s Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program.” (Patrick Preston, “Columbus CEO Speaks Out Against Texas Company in Charge Of Ohio Appliance Rebate Program,” NBC4I, 7/30/2010)

Even some Senate Democrats who supported the stimulus have expressed frustration that taxpayer dollars went to create jobs overseas instead of right here at home:

DEMS’ STIMULUS WIND PROJECTS TAKE JOBS OVERSEAS:

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY STUDY: “60% OF THE 40 LARGEST WIND FARMS” RECEIVING STIMULUS FUNDS “RELIED ON FOREIGN MANUFACTURERS FOR THEIR CENTRAL COMPONENTS”: “According to some critics, a galling example of the Obama administration fostering overseas work came as part the 2009 stimulus program. They point to millions of dollars meant to develop a domestic clean-energy industry that instead landed in the hands of foreign businesses. An April 2010 study by the Energy Department found that 60 percent of the 40 largest wind farms then financed by the stimulus relied on foreign manufacturers for their central components, including turbines.” (Tom Hamburger, Carol D. Leonnig and Zachary A. Goldfarb, “Obama’s Record On Outsourcing Draws Criticism From The Left,” The Washington Post, 7/9/2012)

EVEN SOME SENATE DEMOCRATS SLAMMED THE STIMULUS THEY SUPPORTED FOR OUTSOURCING: “In the wake of a new report revealing that a clean-energy grant program in the stimulus has paid out more than $1 billion to foreign manufacturers, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Bob Casey (D-PA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Jon Tester (D-MT) urged the Obama administration Wednesday to suspend the program indefinitely until the law can be fixed so that funds only flow to projects that will create jobs in the United States.” (Press Release, “Schumer, Casey, Brown & Tester Urge Obama Administration To Suspend Stimulus Program Funneling Billions Overseas,” Office Of Sen. Charles Schumer, 3/3/2010)

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING WORKSHOP: 79% OF FIRST $2 BILLION WENT TO FOREIGN COMPANIES: “Administration officials have said they do not have the authority to prevent that payment. If the aid goes through, it would be just the latest example of a larger trend, according to an independent report conducted last month. The Investigating Reporting Workshop found that 79 percent of the $2 billion in grants doled out by the clean-energy program in the stimulus so far went to foreign companies.” (Press Release, “Schumer, Casey, Brown & Tester Urge Obama Administration To Suspend Stimulus Program Funneling Billions Overseas,” Office Of Sen. Charles Schumer, 3/3/2010)