August 25, 2010 10:59 am ET filed under Blog
Gov. Bob McDonnell Continues To Mislead On Virginia's Budget Surplus
March 18, 2010 9:44 am ET filed under Blog
CBO: Health Care Bill Reduces Deficit By More Than $1.3 TRILLION Over 20 Years
March 15, 2010 4:38 pm ET filed under Blog
Sen. Inhofe Blasts House Republicans For Earmark "Moratorium"
March 15, 2010 1:38 pm ET filed under Fact Check
Rep. Ryan Fills Health Care Op-Ed With Distortions
On March 15, 2010, Rep. Paul Ryan published a wildly misleading op-ed in the Washington Post. In it, he uses false attacks to smear the Democratic plan to reform health care and lies about the would-be effects of two of his own proposals, the Patients' Choice Act and Roadmap for America's Future.
March 11, 2010 2:21 pm ET filed under Blog
Why Deficit Hawks Should Support Health Care Reform
March 02, 2010 11:10 am ET filed under Fact Check
Sen. Hatch Gets It Wrong On Reconciliation
On March 2, 2010, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) penned a misleading op-ed in the Washington Post repeating false Republican claims about the budget reconciliation process. Contrary to his assertions, health care reform has already passed the Senate through a 60 vote majority. Democrats are considering using reconciliation to fix budgetary and taxation issues contained in the underlying bill, which is the exact purpose for which the reconciliation process was created.
February 22, 2010 5:31 pm ET filed under Blog
Rep. Ryan Doubles Down On His Privatization Scheme
February 15, 2010 10:06 am ET filed under Fact Check
Fact Checking the Sunday Shows - February 14, 2010
On yesterday's political talk shows, Sen. Lindsey Graham and fmr. Vice President Dick Cheney continued the barrage of rightwing falsehoods assaulting the Obama administration's national security policies. Liz Cheney and Rep. Aaron Schock, respectively, relied on debunked conservative talking points to slander clean energy legislation and the Recovery Act.
February 12, 2010 1:30 pm ET filed under Fact Check
Rep. Roy Blunt Smears Robin Carnahan With False Attacks On Recovery Act
In Missouri, 7th district Congressman Roy Blunt is in a heated race with Secretary of State Robin Carnahan for the state's open U.S. Senate seat. On February 11, 2010, the 7th District Congressional Republican Committee released an ad smearing Carnahan for supporting the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that "failed to create jobs." In reality, the Recovery Act has created up to 2.4 million American jobs, saved 105,000 Missourians from poverty, and provided $638 million for Missouri's dilapidated roads and highways.
February 12, 2010 11:36 am ET filed under Fact Check
Rep. Ryan's "Roadmap" Mixes & Matches The Worst Policies Of Bush And McCain
On January 27, 2010, Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, the ranking member on the House Budget Committee, released a "Roadmap for America's Future" budget proposal. Despite Ryan's efforts to frame the plan as fresh and new, a quick glance shows his ideas are simply mixed and matched from the worst policies of President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain.
February 04, 2010 3:34 pm ET filed under Fact Check
Sen. Gregg Forgets His Past With Reconciliation
In a February 4, 2010 "ideas piece" in Politico, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-UT) once again feigned disdain at the possibility of using the budget reconciliation process to help Americans gain access to quality health care. Yet, as Media Matters Action Network has previously noted, Sen. Gregg was the Senate's leading proponent of the maneuver just a few short years ago.
February 03, 2010 9:00 am ET filed under Blog
Rep. Hensarling Fundraising Off Confrontation With Obama
February 01, 2010 3:06 pm ET filed under Fact Check
Republican Study Committee Distorts The Deficit
On January 29, 2010, the Republican Study Committee (RSC) issued a press release attacking President Obama for saying that he inherited large deficits from Republicans. The release asserts that the average monthly deficit under Democrats is greater than the average yearly deficit when Republicans were in power. However, the nonpartisan PolitiFact.com analyzed this exact claim and determined it was FALSE.
February 01, 2010 10:30 am ET filed under Video
Fact Checking the Sunday Shows - January 31, 2010
On Sunday, January 31, 2010, it was abundantly clear what the Republicans' talking points were. On Sunday show after Sunday show, the Republican guests repeated falsehoods about Democrats' actions to tackle the recession. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Sen. John Thune (R-SD), were the worst offenders, repeatedly spreading falsehoods about the economy, jobs, the deficit, and health care.
February 01, 2010 10:07 am ET filed under Fact Check
Fact Checking the Sunday Shows - January 31, 2010
On Sunday, January 31, 2010, it was abundantly clear what the Republicans' talking points were. On Sunday show after Sunday show, the Republican guests repeated falsehoods about Democrats' actions to tackle the recession. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Sen. John Thune (R-SD), were the worst offenders, repeatedly spreading falsehoods about the economy, jobs, the deficit, and health care.
January 30, 2010 12:10 pm ET filed under Fact Check
In Q&A Session, Rep. Hensarling Falsely Asserts Democrats Are At Fault For The Deficit
During a January 29, 2010 question and answer session between House Republicans and President Obama, Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) falsely claimed Democrats are to blame for the growing deficit.
January 14, 2010 1:43 pm ET filed under Fact Check
Tea Party Express Attacks Coakley Over Bush's Deficit
On January 14, 2010, the Tea Party Express released an ad endorsing Massachusetts state senator Scott Brown. The ad uses the fiscal year 2009 budget deficit to attack Massachusetts state attorney general Martha Coakley and Washington Democrats. However, even the New York Times article shown in the ad explains Obama's deficit was largely inherited from the Bush administration.
December 21, 2009 11:19 am ET filed under Video
Sen. Tom Coburn Says High Deficit & High Unemployment Are NOT Obama's Fault
December 21, 2009 10:38 am ET filed under Blog
Dr. Coburn Immunizes Obama From GOP Attacks
December 18, 2009 5:51 pm ET filed under Blog
Report: Recovery Act Has Lifted Millions Above Poverty Line
December 02, 2009 2:47 pm ET filed under Fact Check
Rep. Blackburn Blasts Earmarks, Forgetting Her Own
In a December 2, 2009 op-ed in the Washington Times, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) urged Republicans to campaign on earmark reform, noting she had "sworn off" earmarks herself. During the preceding year, Congresswoman Blackburn requested nearly $12 million in earmarks. As Blackburn has no doubt realized, it's easy to fast immediately after a $12 million meal.
November 10, 2009 11:55 am ET filed under Fact Check
Rob Portman's Rhetoric On The Budget Rings Hollow
On his website, former Republican congressman and Bush White House budget director Rob Portman states, "I understand that reducing deficits through pro-growth policies and keeping federal spending under control are the cornerstones of fiscal responsibility." However, a quick glance at Portman's record reveals that his rhetoric is not to be believed.
October 16, 2009 10:28 am ET filed under Fact Check
Once Again, Sen. Gregg Shows Complete Reversal On Reconciliation
On October 16, 2009, Sen. Judd Gregg once again feigned disdain at the possibility of using the budget reconciliation process to help Americans gain access to quality health care. Yet, as Media Matters Action Network has previously noted, Sen. Gregg was the Senate's leading proponent of the maneuver just a few short years ago
October 02, 2009 4:07 pm ET filed under Fact Check
Rep. Jenkins Has A "Real World Background" Mishandling Of Taxpayer Dollars
On October 2, 2009, Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) wrote a blog post on Townhall.com in which she claimed "my primary responsibility in Congress is to ensure our government is efficient with your money." She must have forgotten that as state treasurer of Kansas she misallocated $15 million in taxpayer money AND played hookie as a trustee of a public retirement fund as it lost over $1 billion for Kansas workers.
September 11, 2009 1:11 pm ET filed under Blog
Once Again, Gov. Jindal Touts Stimulus Money He Criticized
Gov. Jindal is exploiting economic hardship to pad his political resume. First, he attempted to establish his conservative bona fides by criticizing federal spending favored by Democrats. Now he is embracing that very same spending in order to look like a hero to those in his state.
August 26, 2009 3:45 pm ET filed under Fact Check
Sen. Gregg Changes His Tune On Reconciliation
On August 26, 2009, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) claimed Democrats "will basically shoot themselves in the foot" if they use budget reconciliation to pass health care. However in 2005, Sen. Gregg was an ardent defender of Republican efforts to use budget reconciliation.
August 12, 2009 12:25 pm ET filed under Fact Check
Rep. Buchanan Takes Credit For Sarasota Transit Grant He Voted Against
On August 11, 2009, Rep. Vern Buchanan issued a press release claiming credit for securing a $1 million grant for transit projects in Sarasota, Florida. The funding, however, was included in the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, which Buchanan voted against.
July 30, 2009 5:36 pm ET filed under Fact Check
Rep. Jenkins Forgets Her Sloppy Handling Of Taxpayer Dollars
On July 30, 2009, Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) introduced a bill aimed at increasing Congress' accountability regarding the handling of taxpayer dollars. She must have forgotten that as state treasurer of Kansas she misallocated $15 million in taxpayer money AND played hookie as a trustee of a public retirement fund as it lost over $1 billion for Kansas workers.
July 28, 2009 1:24 pm ET filed under Blog
Rep. Jones: Stop the Spending Binge - Just Not Mine
Rep. Walter Jones tweets today demanding Washington stop the spending binge. But will the Congressman change his own free spending ways?
July 22, 2009 12:34 pm ET filed under Blog
Rep. Blackburn: "We're Not Going To Cry 'Emergency' Every Time We Have A Katrina"
While speaking on the floor of the House on July 22, 2009, Congressman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) shockingly exclaimed: "we're not going to cry 'emergency' every time we have a Katrina."
