Democrats' Disappointing Leadership

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele issued the following statement on the Democrats' leadership on the economy so far:

"Democrats have been in charge of Washington for just a few weeks but their record so far is disappointing to voters who hoped for change.

"It's disappointing that President Obama allowed a 1000-plus page bill to be written in secret and voted on hours later before members of Congress -- let alone the American people -- had time to review it. This is not the transparency President Obama promised when he said bills would be posted online for five days.

"It is disappointing that the bill includes funding that can be spent on unabashed pork barrel projects like Sen. Harry Reid's railroad, Speaker Nancy Pelosi's mouse, and the national parks that Representative David Obey's son lobbies for.

"It is disappointing that the Democrats consistently replaced pro-jobs provisions in the legislation to make room for spending by politicians and bureaucrats.

"It is disappointing that the Congress did not turn to small business owners and market solutions to create jobs but instead are empowering government and special interests to create debt."