Washington DC – Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Ralph Hall (R-TX) today released the following statement after the Department of Labor released its employment data for the month of June:
Once again I am disappointed by another dreary jobs report. Americans continue to struggle to find jobs while red tape stifles any economic growth. This Administration’s regulatory agenda puts an excessive burden on businesses, discouraging expansion and the hiring of new employees. Over one hundred major new regulations imposed by this Administration are estimated to cost the economy $46 billion per year. And too often, the Administration is using flawed scientific and technical justifications to advance its regulatory agenda.
“While making Americans’ energy more expensive, President Obama has continually blocked and delayed projects that would expand domestic energy production and create jobs. The Keystone XL pipeline would have immediately created tens of thousands of American jobs. Instead, the ‘green jobs’ agenda reflected in the President’s Stimulus Bill has predictably fallen short. For example, a single green energy program created under Section 1603 of the Stimulus Bill spent roughly $9 billion from 2009 – 2011. According to a report by the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, this massive spending resulted in only 910 direct jobs and another 4,600 indirect jobs. So while giving billions of taxpayer dollars to expensive wind and solar energy projects, each actual job created cost the taxpayer roughly $1.63 million.
“House Republicans are trying to help. We’ve passed more than 30 jobs bills and we urge Senate Democrats to stop delaying and work with us to pass legislation that will create jobs. The Republican ‘Plan for America’s Job Creators’ is designed to remove Government barriers that have hindered economic growth.”