USDA Hits Back at Misleading Stimulus Reporting
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack released a statement in response to postings on Drudge. Several government contracts funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act were linked to on the site with headlines such as, "Awarded: $1,191,200 for '2 pound frozen ham sliced.'"
"Press reports suggesting that the Recovery Act spent $1.191 million to buy '2 pounds of ham' are wrong," Vilsack said in the statement. He explained the description of "2 pound frozen ham sliced" referred to the packaging size and that the USDA in fact purchased 760,000 pounds of ham for $1.191 million, at a cost of approximately $1.50 per pound. The food is being distributed to food banks, soup kitchens and other local organizations that assist the needy, via the state-run Emergency Food Assistance Program.
"This program will help reduce hunger of those hardest hit by the current economic recession," Vilsack said.
Furthermore, he added, "While the principal purpose of these expenditures is to provide food to those hardest hit by these tough times, the purchases also provide a modest economic benefit of benefiting Americans working at food retailers, manufacturers and transportation companies as well as the farmers and ranchers who produce our food supply."
Screen shots of the Drudge Report made their way through Washington, the Hill newspaper reported, with Republicans sharing it as an example of excess in the stimulus.
With high unemployment figures still plaguing the country, Republicans have blasted the Obama administration for the lack of results so far from the stimulus package. The administration has hit back hard in return, though.
Vice President Joe Biden has traveled to a number of states to highlight the work of the stimulus package, at times going to the home turf of Republicans who have been the loudest critics.
After Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) suggested the stimulus should be canceled, four cabinet members sent letters to Republican Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, listing the stimulus projects they could cancel specifically in their state.