August 17 – Six months after President Obama signed the $787 billion Democrat spending bill, 14.4 million job-seeking Americans are without jobs.

“Millions of Americans have lost their jobs since the President promised immediate relief with the ‘stimulus’ bill in February,” said Congressman Zach Wamp. “But Americans are still hurting as jobs remain hard to find and wages shrivel for those fortunate to still have a job.”

“In Tennessee, we have seen some benefits of the stimulus, but unfortunately only a small percentage of this massive spending bill actually went to where it was needed most: job creation. Rather than growing the size of the federal government, more investments are needed in energy and transportation. Properly investing in these sectors can create new technologies and manufacturing opportunities to bolster our country’s competitiveness.

“Despite the troubling economic times, the Tennessee Valley Corridor has attracted two major billion dollar investments to our area. Wacker Chemie AG is building a new manufacturing plant to produce the primary component in solar panels, creating at least 500 to 600 new jobs in Bradley Co. Just as noteworthy, the Volkswagen auto plant in Chattanooga is beginning to take shape and is expected to create thousands of new next-generation manufacturing and supply jobs.

“We have the knowledge base, innovation and free enterprise system to solve our economic problems and put people back to work. But wasteful government spending, new regulations and increased taxes are not the way to help American workers and families who are struggling to find work and make ends meet.”