DCCC: SPEAKER JOHN BOEHNER’S THANK YOU TO DAVID KOCH

At the Economic Club of New York House Speaker John Boehner stood tonight with controversial oil billionaire David Koch to push the House Republicans’ plan to end Medicare and protect taxpayer giveaways for Big Oil.

David Koch and John Boehner have come full circle; Koch and his shady corporate money group, Americans for Prosperity, spent millions making John Boehner Speaker last year and now Boehner and House Republicans are pushing the Koch agenda.

Jesse Ferguson of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said:

David Koch spent millions of dollars to make John Boehner the Speaker of the House and now Speaker Boehner is thanking him with a budget that protects taxpayer giveaways for Big Oil and tax breaks for the ultra rich paid for by ending Medicare. Speaker Boehner’s priorities are clear: protecting Big Oil billionaires like David Koch at the expense of seniors. Big Oil and David Koch have no better friend than John Boehner.

Background

Boehner Stood With David Koch for Speech Reaffirming Plans to End Medicare. According to POLITICO, House Speaker John Boehner was joined by David Koch on stage at the presentation in New York where he re-affirmed House Republicans commitment to pushing for a plan that would end Medicare. [Politico, 5/8/11; Politico, 5/8/11; Speaker Boehner’s Press Release, 5/9/11; Wall Street Journal, 4/4/11]

House Republicans Stood with Big Oil. House Republicans opposed a measure that would allow the House of Representatives to approve the Big Oil Welfare Repeal Act of 2011 (H.R. 1689) which would repeal key taxpayer funded subsidies for oil and gas companies. As reported by The Hill newspaper, “House Democrats intend to force a vote on a measure that would eliminate a key oil industry tax break when Republicans bring a bill to expand domestic oil and-gas drilling to the floor Thursday.” [H Res 245, Vote #293, 5/5/11; The Hill, 5/4/11; see also CBS News, 5/4/11]

House Republicans Voted to End Medicare. The Wall Street Journal wrote, “The plan would essentially end Medicare, which now pays most of the health-care bills for 48 million elderly and disabled Americans, as a program that directly pays those bills.” [H Con. Res. 34, Vote #277, 4/15/11; Wall Street Journal, 4/4/11]

Americans for Prosperity said it spent $40 million in the 2010 election cycle. “Americans for Prosperity says it spent $40 million in the 2010 election cycle, organized rallies and phone banks, and canvassed door to door in nearly 100 races across the country.” [Los Angeles Times, 2/6/11}

Rightardia wonders if the Tea Party is getting this. It isn't the government that caused the near economic collapse of the US. It is men like David Koch.