Fact Check: McCaskill Was For Cap-And-Trade, Before She Was Against It
Despite fashioning herself as a straight-talking politician of the people, Missouri’s senior U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) is having a tough time keeping her facts straight these days.
This afternoon, former State Auditor McCaskill called into “The Mark Reardon Show” (KMOX-St. Louis) where she once again expressed confusion that she would have had to pay property taxes on her $2 million aircraft, despite a recent declaration from one St. Louis tax official who made clear that “everyone knows you have to report personal property.”
But then the interview turned to the current debate over cap-and-trade that is before the U.S. Senate, where Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has introduced a rider to strip the EPA of the carbon regulation authority that liberal bureaucrats in the Obama Administration have given themselves. After finally admitting that she plans to vote against the McConnell amendment, McCaskill then quickly pivoted and said that she has always been opposed to cap-and-trade.
· McCaskill: “I have been opposed — I remain opposed to cap-and-trade, and I would not vote for cap-and-trade.”
The problem with Senator McCaskill’s declaration is that it’s simply not true. When the cap-and-trade debate was back before the Senate in 2008, McCaskill stood with ultra-liberal Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and voted to move forward with implementation of a cap-and-trade system. And even before this critical vote, McCaskill said point blank, “[i]n broad strokes, I’m for this [cap-and-trade] concept.”
“Whether it’s her changing stories on her taxpayer-funded travel, her failure to pay her taxes, and now her flip-flop on the critical issue of cap-and-trade, can Missourians trust anything Claire McCaskill says these days?” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Chris Bond asked today.
Of course, the fact that McCaskill sides with the liberal environmental community on cap-and-trade shouldn’t surprise anyone. Literally just 48 hours ago, McCaskill was in Washington, DC, speaking to a gathering of Georgetown College Democrats where she was caught on camera saying that a “silver lining” of the recession was that at least emissions went down because there wasn’t as much U.S. manufacturing.
“Once again, Claire McCaskill says one thing in Missouri, and then gets caught saying and doing the exact opposite in Washington. Fortunately, Show-Me State voters will have the opportunity to hold Senator McCaskill accountable for her liberal double-talk next year,” Bond concluded.
Background: Senator McCaskill Supported Cap-And-Trade
McCaskill Voted To Move Forward With The Boxer Amendment That Would “Cap Greenhouse Gas Emissions Nationwide.” “Motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on the Boxer, D-Calif., substitute amendment no. 4825 that would cap greenhouse gas emissions nationwide and set up a trading system for companies to buy and sell emissions allowances.” (S. 3036, CQ Vote #145: Rejected 48-36: R 7-32; D 39-4; I 2-0, 6/6/08, McCaskill Voted Yea)
In 2008, Before The Cap-And-Trade Vote, McCaskill Said “In Broad Strokes, I’m For This [Cap-And-Trade] Concept,” But Noted Concerns About The Affect On Energy Costs For Average Americans. “At issue is a ‘cap-and-trade’ bill sponsored by Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and John Warner, R-Va., under which companies would buy or sell the right to emit carbon dioxide, a leading cause of global warming. . . . ‘In broad strokes, I’m for this concept,’ McCaskill said. (Deirdre Shesgreen, “Global Warming Bill Puts McCaskill On The Hot Seat,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 6/2/08)
After The Boxer Amendment Failed Despite Her Vote In Support, McCaskill Signed On To A Letter That Said Cap-And-Trade Legislation “Should ‘Treat States Equitably,’ Contain Costs, Clarify The Role Of State And Federal Governments And Ensure Accountability For The Money Spent.” “Ten Democrats from Midwestern and Southern states, who could be key to a bill’s eventual passage, are circulating a letter today to Boxer and Reid. The letter says legislation should ‘treat states equitably,’ contain costs, clarify the role of state and federal governments and ensure accountability for the money spent. Those signing on to the letter include McCaskill . . . .” (Avery Palmer, “Senate’s Global Warming Debate Blocked,” Congressional Quarterly Today, 6/6/08)
