Ryan denies seeking stimulus money

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Rep. Paul Ryan told a Cincinnati television station in an interview airing on Thursday that he “never asked for stimulus” money made available by the Recovery Act, contradicting documents that show he advocated for Wisconsin companies that were seeking funds.

“I opposed the stimulus because it doesn’t work, it didn’t work. It brought us deeper into debt. It was about $1.1 trillion when you add the borrowing cost, it put us deeper in debt and further out of work,” Ryan told WCPO in an interview.

The Republican vice-presidential candidate said he had not seen reports that he had requested funds, but The Wall Street Journal published on Tuesday four 2009 letters from Ryan to Energy Secretary Steven Chu supporting grant applications for Recovery Act funds.

“I am writing to express my support for the grant application submitted by the Energy Center of Wisconsin and its partners for the Recovery Act – Training Program Development for Commercial Building Technicians, Building Operators, and Energy Commissioning Agents/Auditors,” Ryan wrote in one such letter. “I have reviewed the partners’ grant narrative, and I believe that they would make effective use of the funds they would receive from the DOE.”

Ryan similarly denied requesting stimulus money in a 2010 interview with WBZ’s Nightside with Dan Rea, The Boston Globe reported.