Folks, here is your opportunity to actually talk with one of your representatives in Congress! You are invited to join me, Stephen Rhodes, as I participate in an exclusive conference call with Rep. Joe Wilson as he will discuss the actions that he has taken to demand an audit of the stimulus funds.

Here’s the inside skinny:

Who: Rep. Joe Wilson

What: Conference call about his demand for an audit of the stimulus funds

When: Today (Thursday) December 10, at 2 PM Eastern

Call-in info: Number: (218)339-2500, PIN: 586295#

Pepper sent this in:

Congressman Joe Wilson (SC-02), Congressman Jack Kingston (GA-01), Congressman Mark Souder (IN-03), and Congressman Jeff Miller (FL-01) today demanded an audit of stimulus funds.  Just this morning, reports showed  that Mark Penn, Hillary Clinton’s pollster, received $6 million in stimulus money to preserve three jobs. Furthermore, the Administration still hasn’t thoroughly addressed the major discrepancies and inaccuracies of reporting on Recovery.gov. With the Government Accountability Office stating that one out of every 10 jobs created by the stimulus are also fake, it’s high time for Congress to act.  The National Commission on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will create a bipartisan commission to investigate the effects of this “stimulus” bill. 

Congressman Joe Wilson: “It’s time for Congress to demand answers on behalf of the hardworking taxpayers that we represent.  The misnamed stimulus is one of the largest spending bills in our nation’s history and it is critical that American taxpayers receive adequate answers as to the whereabouts of stimulus funds.  I can not fathom how Hillary Clinton’s pollster received $6 million to preserve just three jobs when that could sustain dozens of South Carolina’s families for life.  I urge Speaker Pelosi to consider our legislation to ensure full accountability of every stimulus dollar spent.”

Congressman Jack Kingston: “What do you get for $18 million?  The Obama Administration’s website that creates phony congressional districts and fishy jobs numbers.  It’s time to pull back the curtain and get some of that transparency and accountability promised on the campaign trail.  Until this Administration can provide the American people with an accurate accounting of their record breaking spending scheme, Congress should dry out the trough.”

Congressman Mark Souder: “Not only has the stimulus failed in its goal of reining in rising unemployment, the published report tracking the funds revealed imprecise statistics, nonexistent congressional districts and significantly overstated the number of jobs created. I am pleased to join Congressman Joe Wilson on this important legislation to put an end to this unaccountable stimulus spending spree. During this time of economic recession, Hoosier taxpayers deserve to know where and how their dollars are being spent.” 

Congressman Jeff Miller: “In my home state of Florida 52 jobs were created in the 34^th Congressional District, according to the Recovery.gov website.  46 jobs were created in District 00. We all know now that these districts simply don’t exist.  How can the Administration expect us to trust their dubious jobs created numbers when they can’t even manage their own website?  We need an audit of this spending immediately.”

H.R. 4219, the National Commission on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (text can be found here) will create a ten member panel, appointed by the President and Democrat and Republican leaders in the House and Senate, will investigate how many jobs have actually been saved or created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5); the circumstances in which those jobs have been saved or created; and, the effectiveness of measures taken to prevent the improper payment of funds.  Following the investigation, the Commission will make recommendations on what changes could be made to save or create more jobs and what steps can be taken to prevent the improper allocation of taxpayer dollars.

Pepper sent this in:

(Washington, D.C.)  – After a week of reports  on blatant inconsistencies in stimulus spending, and a hearing in the House Committee on Oversight and Government, this Administration still has not provided adequate answers as to the whereabouts of stimulus funds.  In response to this Administration’s insufficient communication on stimulus spending, Congressman Joe Wilson (SC-02) demands an examination of all stimulus dollars appropriated.

“American taxpayers deserve to know where their hard-earned dollars are being spent,” Congressman Wilson said.  “After several days of reports of stimulus inconsistencies, the Administration still hasn’t explained where the money is really being spent.  Their silence on this important issue is deafening.”

The Recovery Act includes a provision that allows for the establishment of a Recovery Independent Advisory Panel (RIAP).  This panel consists of five presidentially appointed members to advise the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board on how it could prevent fraud, waste, and abuse relating to covered funds.  The President has yet to appoint this panel despite widespread stimulus inaccuracies.

“I call on the President to appoint this panel immediately,” said Congressman Wilson.  “The Recovery Act is one of the largest spending bills in our nation’s history and it’s critical that we work together to maintain our goals of transparency and accountability.” 

If this panel is not appointed by December 1, 2009, Congressman Wilson will call for an outside, independent examination of spending and reporting inaccuracies of every stimulus dollar appropriated.