ST. CHARLES – State Senator and candidate for Congress Randy Hultgren today responded to the August jobs report, which showed that nonfarm payrolls fell by 54,000 as the national unemployment rate rose from 9.5 to 9.6 percent; the report also noted that 550,000 people joined the workforce.

“Today’s report is a stark reminder of the failure of this Congress and this Administration’s economic policies,” said Hultgren. “When Nancy Pelosi and Bill Foster forced the wasteful ‘stimulus’ package through Congress, we were promised that it would keep unemployment below 8 percent; news that unemployment is rising again has demonstrated the gross exaggeration of those claims. The hundreds of thousands of Americans reentering the workforce is also a reminder that real unemployment is far higher than 9.6 percent.”

“If Democrats in Congress and President Obama are serious about getting our economy back on track, they should move swiftly to cut taxes. Had they enacted meaningful – rather than temporary and symbolic – tax cuts last year, the economy would be far stronger than it is today. Now we hear that Speaker Pelosi and Congressman Foster may seek to raise taxes on small businesses and hardworking Americans, a move that will no doubt cause more Americans to lose their jobs.

“Since he went to Washington, Bill Foster has been part of the problem. His lockstep support for Nancy Pelosi’s agenda of higher taxes and bigger government has stifled any hopes of a real recovery; Foster’s support for the Pelosi agenda means that families and small businesses from Aurora to Orion are hurting. Illinois and the 14th District deserve better.”

ST. CHARLES – State Senator Randy Hultgren, Republican candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 14th District, yesterday participated in a Congressional candidates forum sponsored by the Henry County Farm Bureau. Hultgren discussed his support for free trade and maintaining the ethanol tax credit, and stressed his opposition to the burdensome 1099 regulations contained in the recently-enacted health care law.

“Earlier today, I toured one of the nation’s most efficient ethanol plants, located here in Henry County. It’s that facility, and others like it, that are vital to reducing our nation’s dependence on imported oil and demonstrating the value of domestic ethanol production. Congress needs to retain the ethanol tax credit to incentivize domestic consumption; I also hope that the Environmental Protection Agency will soon raise the ethanol blend from its current ten percent to fifteen percent.

“To expand the markets available to our farmers and exporters, Congress and this Administration must also approve the numerous pending free-trade deals, including those with Colombia and South Korea.

“America’s farmers are a pillar of our Nation’s economy, and I pledge to be a tireless advocate for them in Washington, DC.

“These and other critical issues directly impact the well-being of the 14th Congressional District and I am disappointed that Congressman Bill Foster didn’t show for the Henry County Farm Bureau Congressional candidates forum.”

The event was intended as a forum for Henry County farmers to hear from candidates for office. While Hultgren attended personally, Rep. Bill Foster declined to attend and instead sent a staffer to represent him.

“By ducking yet another opportunity to speak directly to his constituents, Bill Foster has once again reminded voters that he has quickly become an out-of-touch and unresponsive Washington insider,” said Gill Stevens, spokesman for the Hultgren campaign. “Foster should stop hiding behind his staffers and instead speak directly to his constituents about his votes for the bailout, for Nancy Pelosi’s government takeover of health care, and for billions in wasteful Washington spending.”

St. Charles – In poll results released today from We Ask America, State Senator Randy Hultgren is leading the incumbent, Bill Foster, in the race for Illinois’ 14th Congressional District 44% to 37%.

The August 4th poll sampled responses from 1,028 registered voters in the 14th Congressional District.

“While we do not live and die by every poll that comes out, today’s We Ask America poll shows clear momentum for Randy’s campaign for Congress,” said John Cooney, Campaign Manager for Randy Hultgren.

“Just two months ago, Randy led by a single percentage point, so this survey shows real movement as voters begin to focus on the candidates and their records.”

“Along with a seven point lead among registered voters, Randy enjoys a ten point advantage among independent voters who strongly reject the failed policies of the Foster/Pelosi Congress,” said Cooney. “Bill Foster voted for a stimulus package that failed to create jobs and a health care boondoggle that cuts $500 billion out of Medicare. Illinois voters are coming to realize that Randy Hultgren is the right choice for our families and our future.”

St. Charles, IL – The second taxpayer-funded advertisement in one week from Bill Foster’s congressional office arrived yesterday in voter’s mailboxes ahead of the August 4th deadline to stop government paid mail from Members of Congress.

“Bill Foster is using taxpayer funds to pay for campaign propaganda he sends to voters,” said State Senator Randy Hultgren. “People throughout the 14th district are outraged at this abuse of the taxpayers trust.”

“It’s time for Bill Foster to come clean and tell his constituents how much of their hard-earned dollars he is spending to win re-election in November,” said Hultgren.

St. Charles, Illinois – According to Politico, Democrats have laid out their plans to protect Representative Bill Foster on a list of vulnerable Members of Congress that will receive much needed help from Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s political operation in exchange for his support of her agenda:

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has invested approximately $28 million worth of television airtime to defend vulnerable incumbents running for reelection this fall, a senior Democratic official confirmed to POLITICO.

The full list of Democrat incumbents who the DCCC plans to run ads in support of is as follows: Alabama Rep. Bobby Bright; Arizona Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick, Harry Mitchell, and Gabrielle Giffords; California Rep. Jerry McNerney; Colorado Rep. Betsy Markey; Florida Reps. Allen Boyd and Suzanne Kosmas; Iowa Rep. Leonard Boswell; Illinois Reps. Debbie Halvorson and Bill Foster; …

(Alex Isenstadt, “DCCC buys time in 40 districts,” Politico, July 23, 2010)

By putting Foster on the list of incumbents receiving assistance, Washington Democrats are acknowledging that supporting the Pelosi agenda has put him at great risk of losing his seat.

“Bill Foster’s radical disregard of his constituent’s needs through his support of TARP, government bailouts, stimulus pork, card check and the government takeover of health care can’t be masked by Nancy Pelosi’s liberal donors.” said Hultgren spokesperson Veronica Vera.

St. Charles – State Senator Randy Hultgren was declared a “Young Gun” today by the National Republican Congressional Committee in his bid for Congress in the 14th District.

The Young Guns is a NRCC program for those Republican candidates determined to have the best opportunity to win their elections in November.

“I am deeply gratified the National Republican Congressional Committee has recognized that our campaign is a top prospect for victory in November,” said Hultgren. “The wide support and growing momentum we are experiencing throughout the 14th District are direct results of our positive policies and the deep dissatisfaction with Bill Foster’s lack of effort and results on the key issues that affect our community.”

“I am eager to move our positive campaign forward and work with the good people of the 14th Congressional District to create jobs, expand the economy, provide real health care reform and promote greater prosperity,” said Hultgren.

“Bill Foster, Nancy Pelosi and Congressional Democrats should be embarrassed by their failure to pass a budget this year. Illinois families are struggling, and they cannot afford for Congress to keep missing opportunities to present a fiscally sound budget, create jobs and grow the economy.”

“The fact that Bill Foster and Congressional Democrats are refusing to deal with some of the most serious issues our country is facing – including runaway spending, unsustainable debts and growing unemployment – is troubling to say the least. Bill Foster and his Democrat colleagues have no plan, no vision, and lack the courage to make the tough decisions that Illinois families are making every day.”

State Senator Randy Hultgren, candidate for Congress in the 14th District, was endorsed today by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“Your support of pro-business issues earned this endorsement,” said Thomas Donohue, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“My top priority has been creating jobs and expanding opportunity for the people of Illinois, so I am pleased and grateful that the world’s largest business federation has recognized my strong and consistent commitment to the business men and women of Illinois,” said Hultgren.

“The Chamber has a significant presence in the 14th Congressional District and shares my belief that it is through promoting the private sector that we will be able to achieve economic growth, increase job creation and enhance consumer confidence.”

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Tonight, Bill Foster dealt the 14th Congressional District a devastating blow.

Foster’s vote to takeover health care doesn’t only run contrary to the wishes of his constituents, it delivers on the commitment he made to his REAL boss, Andy Stern, head of the Service Employees International Union.

In the Washington Post this week ( http://bit.ly/aclXmC ), Stern boasted of the debt owed to SEIU by Foster saying that “Foster, who we ran a significant independent expenditure for, we’re telling him what it is our workers thought they were working for him for” in reference to the Pelosi/Reid health care bill.

It is clear, by the admission of SEIU to the Washington Post of access and influence, that Foster is bought and paid for by special interests at the expense of the residents of the 14th Congressional District!

Not only did Foster commit this heinous act of multi-generational theft, harming residents of Illinois by taking away Medicare benefits to seniors and shifting unknown costs to our children and grandchildren, he also committed another heinous act against the unborn.

In a later vote, Foster voted to uphold Nancy Pelosi’s commitment to government-funded abortion!

I am fighting to serve in Congress so that we STOP the special interest buying spree, STOP the government from paying for abortions and STOP the abuse of the taxpayer’s money.

Today is the one year anniversary of passage of the Federal Stimulus package and we have yet to experience either the job growth or job safety promised by Congressman Bill Foster in citing his support of the massive spending bill.

Jobs are scarce, people are hurting and unemployment remains way too high in the 14th Congressional District. Are families and businesses better off now than one year ago? Democrats promised their trillion-dollar spending and debt bill would keep unemployment under 8 percent, but it stands nearly two points higher today – and worse here in parts of Illinois.

The broken Congress should have focused like a laser beam on creating jobs and putting people back to work, but instead it dithered with crazy plans like imposing an energy tax on Illinois families and moving the Guantanamo Bay prisoners to Illinois.