Hultgren Calls President’s $447B Jobs Plan ‘Inadequate’

Offering a potential counter to the stream of bad economic news, President Barack Obama proposed a $447 billion jobs plan to Congress Thursday night.

The proposed American Jobs Act includes more than $250 billion in small business tax incentives, while the rest of the money would fuel infrastructure spending, unemployment insurance, state aid and neighborhood rehabilitation, according to the Huffington Post.

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Obama urged Congress to pass the bill “right away.”

"There should be nothing controversial about this piece of legislation," Obama told the members of Congress Thursday. "Everything in here is the kind of proposal that's been supported by both Democrats and Republicans—including many who sit here tonight. And everything in this bill will be paid for. Everything."

Rep. Randy Hultgren, (R-IL), who attended the President’s speech, called the the plan “wholly inadequate,” despite the claim of bipartisan support.

“Once again he urged more scatter-shot ‘stimulus’ spending, at a time when we should be husbanding our constituents’ hard-earned tax dollars and ensuring that they are spent as wisely as possible,” said in a statement delivered to media shortly after the speech.

While he agreed that improvements to nation’s infrastructure is needed and would create jobs, Hultgren said the investments need to be targeted and to “cut red tape and limit the delays that currently plague our investments in infrastructure improvement.”

You can find Rep. Hultgren's full statement on his Congressional website.