Boosters of US research are trumpeting what they call the job-saving investments in science brought about by the US economic stimulus package, passed by Congress in February to the tune of $787 billion.

In Washington on Tuesday, the usual political luminaries in the Democratic party — including House speaker Nancy Pelosi — trotted out statistics on the more than $21 billion in science and technology funding in the stimulus package. Rush Holt, a physicist and Congressman from New Jersey, noted that universities and research laboratories in his state received more than $60 million. The group rolled out a website, called ScienceWorksForUS, that is meant to “tell the stories of the research and the researchers contributing to America’s recovery”.

But it’s a one-sided message to say the least. Over at Science‘s policy blog, Jeff Mervis points out that no Republicans were invited to the Capitol Hill rally. And there’s growing criticism of the numbers that Democratic leaders in both Congress and the Obama administration have been using to justify their claims of job creation through stimulus money (Washington Post).

For a breakdown of where in science all that money is going, see our graphic from last month.