Albany, NY…January 21, 2011-New York State Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox released the following statement today in response to President Obama’s visit to New York State today. The President toured a General Electric facility in Schenectady to take credit for a recent deal that would expand GE’s operations in the capital region.

“GE’s new deal with India’s Reliance Energy will lead to an expansion of its operations and that is welcome news for our state. But it wasn’t President Obama’s deal. GE’s record of innovation, its quality products and American workers made this deal possible.

The deal between the two companies had been in negotiations before the President took office and was announced weeks before the President’s visit to India last year.

Photo ops don’t create jobs. Fiscally conservative policy does. The fact still remains that the President’s core philosophy of more government, more spending, more regulation and higher taxes has inhibited our economic recovery.

Perhaps the President can take a lesson from the Republican State Senate Majority here in New York by getting right to work proposing tax cuts, spending caps and other policies that will make a real difference for our businesses and families.

The President also failed to mention that the tax extension he signed last month is the same one he campaigned against. Not extending the Bush tax cuts would have increased taxes on New Yorkers by billions of dollars.

During his visit, the President also touted his new Commission on Jobs and Competitiveness. This commission, like the more than a dozen other councils and commissions he has created during his administration, is a publicity stunt meant to divert attention from his lavish spending policies and a failure to create an environment where businesses can grow.”