Congress candidate Bruce Stern opposes $50B bailout

June 15, 2010 (Rockville, Maryland): Maryland Republican Congressional Candidate Bruce Stern today voiced his opposition to President Obama's request to Congress to quickly approve an additional $50 billion in emergency aid to state and local governments. In a letter written over the weekend to lawmakers, the President claimed this new stimulus spending bill is necessary to prevent "massive layoffs" of police, firefighters and teachers employed by state and local governments.

In speaking out against the President's new stimulus bill, Mr. Stern stated: "The President just does not get it. The last thing this country needs right now is to add another $50 billion to our national debt. Federal spending has been so out of control lately that even Democrats are balking at the President's request and there is talk by the Democratic Congressional Leadership of "spending fatigue" in Congress. Furthermore, by classifying this spending bill as "emergency funding," the President avoids the PAYGO rules and the requirement that Congress find budget offsets for this massive new spending bill."

Mr. Stern continued: "The President's economic policy is all over the map. On the one hand, he appoints a bi-partisan commission to focus on cutting the national debt and reducing the deficit and, on the other, he is seeking passage of a massive new stimulus bill that will add tens of billions of dollars to the deficit. The President is clearly starting to feel the pressure of the upcoming mid-term elections and with this new stimulus bill is seeking to do anything to reduce the unemployment rate, irrespective of the long-term costs to the country. Although I understand and appreciate the value of teachers, police officers and fire fighters, and the services they provide to our local communities, the Federal government is not in a position to provide $50 billion in funding to state and local governments to help safeguard at-risk municipal positions. Funding for these jobs needs to come from the state and local governments, not U.S. taxpayers."

Mr. Stern, 45, is seeking the Republican nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives' seat representing Maryland's Eighth Congressional District. He is a practicing attorney and the principal of Stern & Associates, a Montgomery County law firm. He is also the owner of Peninsula Settlements, LLC, a real estate settlement company based in Montgomery County. He lives with his wife Nicole, a Psychologist, and their three daughters, in Gaithersburg. Additional information on Mr. Stern and his campaign is available online at www.sternforcongress.com.