Murphy a Day Late and Millions Short

Connecticut Republican Party Chairman Chris Healy issued this statement today:

Congressman Chris Murphy's attempt to cover his blind support for the $750 billion stimulus bill which led to underserved bonuses to corporate pirates will fool no one in the Fifth Congressional District, according to Republican State Party Chairman Chris Healy Thursday.

"Chris Murphy didn't the read the bill that caused this problem and now he has seen the light," said Healy. "Maybe if Murphy was paying attention to the details and stopped following Sen. Chris Dodd around like lemming, the taxpayers wouldn't have been ripped off."

Murphy, a member of the House Financial Service Committee, which has oversight over the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), voted for the stimulus bill along with his colleagues from Connecticut, John Larson, D-1, Rosa DeLauro, D-3 and Jim Himes, D-4. Congressman Joe Courtney, D-2, was the lone member of the delegation to vote against the stimulus bill - along with the entire Republican House caucus. According to Murphy's own website, the committee is, "critical to Connecticut since the state is at the epicenter of the financial service industry, which provides thousands of jobs in the Fifth District and the state."

Late Wednesday, it was disclosed that Sen. Dodd has knowingly allowed a provision that would have allowed bonuses to be paid to numerous financial institutions prior to February 11. Initially, Dodd said he and his staff had nothing to do with the amendment allowing for those payments.

Murphy's plan to stop all future payments misses the entire point, Healy said, because the entire approach by the Democrats has never worked in the recorded history of free market capitalism.

"Republicans have been saying from the start that you can't spend your way out of recession if the government is doing the spending," said Healy. "Chris Murphy believes the government has to be in charge of all of our businesses, picking winners and losers and setting pay schedules and compensation limits. It didn't work when the Iron Curtain was up and it won't work now."

Healy said Murphy credibility has been shredded on this issue and his calls for new laws - after the fact - are shallow and will have no impact.

"The contracts in question have to be honored - it is the foundation of our Constitution," said Healy. "Murphy is a lawyer and he would be the first one in court demanding that his client keep his pay."

Now, Healy argues, Murphy is trying to close the barn door.

"The tax money have been lost, but the good news is Chris Murphy now understands Congressmen are paid to read the bills they vote so the tax payers aren't paying bigger bills for years to come," said Healy. "Maybe if Chris Murphy spent more time actually being a Congressman than running for Congress, the people of the Fifth District might have some hope for the future."