The Hill Report: Week Of November 16 - November 20, 2009

Statement

This week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress, reported that more than 50,000 jobs claimed to be "created or saved" by the Obama Administration's Trillion-dollar stimulus program came from projects where no money has been spent. The report exposed an alarming amount of discrepancies in how American taxpayer dollars are being spent, and now Americans are learning that the Obama Administration reported job creation in Congressional Districts that do not exist.

Many "phantom districts" across the country have appeared on recovery.gov -- a website supposedly designed to report how stimulus money is spent. In a state with only 32 Congressional Districts, Texas reportedly received stimulus money in districts that do not exist -- the 00, 52nd, 58th, 68th, 85th, 86th, and 91st Congressional Districts. The financial details of Texas' phantom districts proved to be even more concerning:

* One job was "created or saved" at a cost of $310,963 in the 68th Congressional District.
* Zero jobs were "created or saved" at a cost of $8,937,289 in the 52nd Congressional District.
* 11 jobs were "created or saved" at a cost of $752, 292 in the 00 Congressional District.

And in our 32nd District, allegedly 54.8 jobs were "created or saved" at a cost of $59,540,854. That amounts to approximately $1,086,511.93 of your tax dollars per job.

The lack of accountability reflected in the stimulus spending reports gives me zero confidence in the Obama Administration's ability to count jobs in the 32nd Congressional District -- or anywhere. Even the chairman of the stimulus "Accountability and Transparency Board," Earl Devaney, refused to certify that the number of jobs reportedly "created or saved" by the stimulus is accurate.

What is fact is that over 3 million Americans have lost their jobs since the stimulus became law. Yet the Obama Administration touts its success beyond their "wildest dreams" using unverifiable information riddled with errors. I believe that this disconnect with reality mocks every hard-working taxpayer and jobless American, and I will stand with the American people in demanding an accurate and full accounting of tax dollar use.

Rights for 9/11 Terrorists

Last week, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM), the self-proclaimed mastermind of the September 11th attacks, will stand trial in a civilian court in New York City instead of in a military tribunal. This decision by the Obama Administration is irresponsible for a number of reasons. Among the most compelling arguments against a civil trial is the affect the proceedings may have on our efforts to prevent future terrorist attacks. The extensive discovery process expected in the trial has the potential to jeopardize our covert intelligence operations and the identity of our contacts -- which is what happened with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing trial.

The decision to prosecute KSM in a civilian court also raises questions about the future treatment of enemy combatants caught on the battlefield. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) raised this question during a Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday. He asked Attorney General Eric Holder if Miranda rights would have to be read to terrorists like Osama bin Laden upon capture. The Attorney General's ambiguous response: "It all depends." This is an unacceptable answer coming from our country's top law enforcement officer. To view the Judiciary Committee exchange in the below YouTube video link, forward to minute 3:30.

This trial is sure to be a "kangaroo court," providing a platform for KSM to spread propaganda. I believe that prosecuting KSM in a civilian court will also undermine the integrity of our judicial system. President Obama has already publically stated that KSM will be convicted. Comments made by the Administration suggest that the outcome of the case has been predetermined. If the purpose of conducting a civil trial is to showcase America's fair and unbiased judicial system, these comments coming from President Obama do the opposite.

This week, I cosponsored a bill (H.R. 4127) authored by Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX) that would prohibit terrorists like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-conspirators from being tried in civilian court. Instead, the legislation would make it mandatory that all foreign terrorists stand trial in a constitutionally-established military commission. I will continue working with my colleagues in Congress to block KSM and other foreign terrorists from stepping foot on our homeland soil and enjoying the due process constitutional rights of American citizens.


The Hockaday School Visits Washington, DC

On Wednesday, I welcomed sixth grade students from The Hockaday School in Dallas to Washington, DC. Each year, Hockaday takes their sixth grade class on an educational field trip to the nation's Capitol, and this year 74 students and 22 adults attended the trip.

I was delighted to take the group on a night tour of the United States Capitol where the students had the opportunity to broaden their knowledge of the inner workings of our government and the history of our great nation.

I always value the opportunity to meet students from the 32nd District to gain a better understanding of the perspectives and ambitions of young citizens in North Texas. I was impressed with the caliber of questions and thoughtful conversations I had with the students from Hockaday. I was encouraged by their eagerness to learn, and I believe experiences such as visiting the nation's capital give students the tools they need to excel in the future.

In addition to their tour of the Capitol, Hockaday students had the opportunity to visit other historical sites, memorials, and monuments in DC and in Virginia, such as Arlington National Cemetery and Jamestown.

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