President Obama’s economic recovery and reinvestment plan will begin implementing long-needed changes to our energy infrastructure and start building jobs in a green economy. Recognizing that it is time to “mark a clean break from a troubled past, and set a new course for our nation,” the recovery plan’s mission is to “immediately jumpstart job creation and long-term growth.” Thus, the plan makes a strong commitment to reinvigorating education, basic research, health care, and infrastructure — investments that deliver returns well above the cost of borrowing. However, many in Congress are questioning this strategy of investment, following Karl Rove’s claim that the recovery plan is not “timely, targeted and temporary.” Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) attacked education funding, asking, “How many people go to work on Pell grants?” Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) claimed, “It’s just a long list of spending items.” Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) argued that health care and clean car programs “really would have no impact on the economy.” And Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) expressed his dismay that “tens of billions of these dollars are intended to be force fed into so-called green and renewable energy programs under the pretense of job creation.” Fortunately, Inhofe is correct when he warns: “This funding boost’s real purpose may be to further the political aims of the Obama administration when it comes to offering alleged global-warming ‘solutions.'”

From The Progress Report