GOP report rips stimulus spending

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Senate Republicans ripped the "pure waste" of billions of dollars of U.S. stimulus funds spent so far, citing puppet shows and fossil research in Argentina.

A report issued Tuesday by Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma concluded that $7 billion was wasted or mismanaged, The Hill reported. The Obama administration spent $217 billion in economic stimulus funds as of the end of November.

Heading the list of foolish projects is a $5 million grant from the Energy Department to create a geothermal energy system for the Oak Ridge City Center shopping mall in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The problem, Republicans say, is that the mall is hemorrhaging tenants and is mostly vacant.

An administration spokesman could not be reached for immediate comment.

"Two-hundred-and-seventeen-billion dollars of this money is out the door and at least 15 percent of it is pure waste," said Coburn, the ranking Republican on the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. "This is about highlighting the inefficiency of the wasteful stimulus program that isn't going to do what it said it was going to do at a time when we're running $1.4 trillion deficits."

The Republicans' report also noted that researchers at Penn State University received $1.57 million to search for fossils in Argentina and a liberal-leaning theater in Minnesota received $100,000 for socially conscious puppet shows.

Coburn and McCain criticized Vice President Joe Biden, charged with overseeing how stimulus funds are spent, for not paying closer attention.

"In his words, he's the sheriff," McCain said.