Two years ago, liberal United States Senator Amy Klobuchar provided President Barack Obama with a crucial vote for his $2.5 trillion job-killing healthcare bill, which contained a 10 percent tax on indoor tanning and has now resulted in the closure of nearly 60 tanning salons in Minnesota.

As the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports:

The recession and a still-sluggish economy have pulled many businesses under. Indoor tanning salons say they’ve been dealt an additional blow, courtesy of the federal government.  The Indoor Tanning Association, an industry group, claims that 14 percent of tanning salons in Minnesota have gone out of business since 2009, a decline from 477 to 419. The group blames the additional burden of a 10 percent tax placed on salons starting July 1, 2010, as part of the health care reform law. … “Whether or not you think people should be sun-tanning, the government is picking winners and losers by using the tax code to punish businesses,” said John Overstreet, executive director of the Indoor Tanning Association. “This is not the way to write tax policy. It’s unfair, and it shouldn’t be done.” (Jackie Crosby, Indoor tanning operators say they’re getting burned by tax, Star Tribune, 12/16/11)

Notably, ObamaCare’s indoor tanning tax isn’t the only tax that could kill jobs in Minnesota, as Ms. Klobuchar knows far too well the medical device tax in the healthcare law will take effect in one year, which could kill thousands of jobs in the Gopher State.

“Thanks to Amy Klobuchar’s vote for government-run healthcare, which contained a massive indoor tanning tax, a number of Minnesota small businesses are paying a very tough price,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Jahan Wilcox.  “Between the tanning tax and the Democrats’ medical device tax – which affects 50,000 Minnesotans – it’s clear Klobuchar’s healthcare law is killing jobs in the Gopher State.”    

BACKGROUND …

OBAMACARE HAS KILLED NEARLY 60 TANNING SALONS IN MINNESOTA

STAR TRIBUNE:  “The recession and a still-sluggish economy have pulled many businesses under. Indoor tanning salons say they’ve been dealt an additional blow, courtesy of the federal government.  The Indoor Tanning Association, an industry group, claims that 14 percent of tanning salons in Minnesota have gone out of business since 2009, a decline from 477 to 419. The group blames the additional burden of a 10 percent tax placed on salons starting July 1, 2010, as part of the health care reform law. … ‘Whether or not you think people should be sun-tanning, the government is picking winners and losers by using the tax code to punish businesses,’ said John Overstreet, executive director of the Indoor Tanning Association. ‘This is not the way to write tax policy. It’s unfair, and it shouldn’t be done.’” (Jackie Crosby, Indoor tanning operators say they’re getting burned by tax, Star Tribune, 12/16/11) 

AND THE HEALTHCARE LAW WILL SOON KILL SOME OF MINNESOTA’S MEDICAL DEVICE JOBS

Boston Scientific Says Obama’s Medical Device Tax Could Kill 45,000 Jobs Nationwide.  “Boston Scientific’s chief executive yesterday ripped a tax on medical devices slated for 2013 and anticipated major layoffs at the Natick company if the levy — part of President Obama’s health-care overhaul — isn’t repealed. … Elliott’s comments came a week after trade group AdvaMed released a study finding that the 2.3 percent federal excise tax would lead to more than 45,000 job losses nationwide …” (Greg Turner, Boston Scientific CEO: Medical tax will mean job cuts, Boston Herald, 09/15/11)   

The post Klobuchar’s Government-Run Healthcare Bill Puts Minnesota Small Businesses Out Of Business appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

A full 798 days – and $3.2 trillion in new debt – since Senate Democrats last passed a budget, it appears Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and her Democrat colleagues may finally be on the verge this week of at least introducing their own budget this Congress.

But there’s a critical catch – according to published reports on Capitol Hill this morning, the Senate Democrats’ budget is expected to include at least $2 trillion in new tax increases – at a time when the national unemployment rate stands at 9.1%.  Notably, this matches the $2 trillion in unchecked spending that Klobuchar is calling for by increasing the debt limit without tying it to any serious spending reforms.

“Minnesotans have waited almost 800 days for Senate Democrats to pass a budget, while the federal debt has climbed to $14.3 trillion after years of reckless spending, and now Amy Klobuchar and her fellow Democrats are talking about $2 trillion in new job-killing tax hikes,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Jahan Wilcox said today.  “At what point will Senator Klobuchar finally get the message that the problem in Washington isn’t that the government taxes too little, but that it spends too much?  Amy Klobuchar campaigned as a fiscal moderate in 2006, but her record has shown her to be a liberal tax-and-spender, and this latest budget proposal is just the latest example.”

 By The Numbers – Amy Klobuchar’s Recent Fiscal Record In the Senate

 798………………………………Days since the Democrat Senate has passed a budget resolution;

$3.2 trillion…………………….Debt accumulated since a budget was last passed;

$7.3 trillion…………………….Total federal spending over that time;

$439 billion…………………….Net interest payments over that time;

2024 …………………………….Projected year that Medicare will go bankrupt;

9.1 ……………………………….Percent of workforce currently unemployed;

68,200 …………………………..Net number of federal workers hired since the Senate last passed a budget;

22,668,000…………………….Approximate total number of workers currently unemployed and underemployed;

0………………………………….Budget resolutions passed by the Democrat Senate this year;

0………………………………….Senate Budget Committee mark-ups scheduled this year;

10.75 ……………………………. Number of hours spent debating and amending budgets and spending bills in the Democrat Senate;

116.1 ……………………………. Number of hours spent debating and amending budgets and spending bills in the Republican House.

As Americans lose their jobs, Amy Klobuchar and her fellow Senate Democrats refuse to perform their own.

The post Almost 800 Days Later, Klobuchar & Fellow Democrats To Propose $2 Trillion Tax Hike Budget appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

It’s been more than 790 days since liberal U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and her fellow Senate Democrats passed a federal budget – during which time our national debt has exploded to a record-high $14.3 trillion.

But as Senate Republicans today propose – and unanimously support – a common-sense Balanced Budget Amendment to finally bring Washington’s spending and debt under control, Klobuchar is standing instead with Al Franken and her D.C. party bosses in calling for new job-killing tax hikes and yet another round of wasteful “stimulus” spending.

Notably, as a candidate for U.S. Senate in 2006 Klobuchar criticized Washington’s spending habits and even supported a balanced budget. But since arriving in the Senate, Klobuchar has broken her promise to Minnesotans, joining her liberal Democrat colleagues as they continue to abdicate their basic responsibility to pass a federal budget.

“In 2006, Amy Klobuchar said Washington needed some good Minnesota common sense to reduce our country’s debt, but it was just empty campaign rhetoric,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Jahan Wilcox.  “The fact is since Amy Klobuchar became a member of the Senate our national debt has risen from $8.7 trillion to $14.3 trillion and neither Klobuchar nor her sidekick Al Franken have even bothered to offer a proposal to balance our budget.”

The post As Republicans Seek A Balanced Budget Amendment, Amy Klobuchar Demand New Tax Hikes, Wasteful Spending appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

It’s been 770 days since U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and the Democrats who run the Senate have failed to perform the most basic job function of Congress by passing a federal budget.  In fact, Klobuchar and her fellow Democrats have refused to even propose a budget in the current Congress.

To make matters worse, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) announced that last month we were assessed $5 billion more in interest payments on our debt than in May 2010 and the fiscal year budget deficit now stands at $929 billion.

“Democrats like Amy Klobuchar said they did not have the time to propose, let alone pass a budget and now we have learned that Klobuchar’s inaction has resulted in $5 billion more in interest payments on our debt,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Jahan Wilcox.  “With our national debt at $14.3 trillion and unemployment above 9 percent, it’s deeply troubling that Klobuchar has displayed no sense of urgency or offered any budget proposals that will reduce our federal deficit – opting instead to kick the can to the next generation.”

The post Amy Klobuchar’s Inaction Leads To More Debt appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

It’s been 769 days since U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and the Democrats who run the Senate have performed the most basic job function of Congress by passing a federal budget.  Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said that Democrats are in a tough situation, because they only have 53 votes.

As Politico reported today:

“I think people also understand the Leader [Reid] faces a tough situation with 53 votes and a Republican House,” said Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin. “It’s just not an easy year to engineer the outcomes you’d like to have.”

Additionally, Democrats like Klobuchar haven’t even offered any budget proposal, because their other partisan leaders – Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) – have said that to do so would be “foolish,” and that Democrats do not have the time to propose a budget.

“It’s shocking that Democrats like Amy Klobuchar cannot propose, let alone pass a budget because they only have 53 votes – which is a three seat majority – in the U.S. Senate,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Jahan Wilcox.  “With a national debt of over $14.3 trillion, it’s time for Klobuchar to explain why she and her party bosses appear more concerned with the next election than with reining in their reckless spending habits that are bankrupting our country.”

Since The Democrat-Controlled Senate Last Passed A Budget, The Federal Debt Has Risen By An Additional $3.1 Trillion:

• On April 27, 2009, The National Debt Was $11.2 Trillion. (Treasury Direct Website, www.treasurydirect.gov, Accessed 6/7/11)

• Today, The National Debt Is Over $14.3 Trillion. (Treasury Direct Website, www.treasurydirect.gov, Accessed 6/7/11)

The post Klobuchar And The Dilemma Of 53 Votes appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

It’s been 768 days since U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and the Democrats who run the Senate have performed the most basic job function of Congress by passing a federal budget.

In this Congress alone, Democrats like Amy Klobuchar haven’t even offered any budget proposal, because their partisan leaders – Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) – have said that to do so would be “foolish,” and that Democrats do not have the time to propose a budget.

“It’s been 768 days since Senator Amy Klobuchar and her liberal friends in Washington have passed a budget,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee Spokesman Jahan Wilcox.  “With a national debt of over $14.3 trillion, Minnesotans deserve to know what’s keeping Klobuchar from performing her most basic task of passing a budget that will rein in her reckless spending habits that are bankrupting our country.”

By The Numbers – Amy Klobuchar’s Recent Record In the Senate

768:  Days since the Democrat Senate has passed a budget resolution

$3.2 Trillion:  Debt accumulated since a budget was last passed

$7.1 Trillion:  Total federal spending over that time

$413 Billion:  Net interest payments over that time

2024:  Projected year that Medicare will go bankrupt

9.1:  Percent of workforce currently unemployed

22,462,000:  Approximate total number of workers currently unemployed and underemployed

0:  Budget resolutions passed by the Democrat Senate this year

0:  Senate Budget Committee mark-ups scheduled this year

51:  Bills marked up by other Senate Committees this Congress

10.75:  Number of hours spent debating and amending budgets and spending bills in the Democrat Senate

86.3:  Number of hours spent debating and amending budgets and spending bills in the Republican House

The post By The Numbers: As Senator Amy Klobuchar Ignores Budget, Debt Surges And Economy Suffers appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

It’s been 758 days since U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and the Democrats who run the Senate have performed the most basic job function of Congress by passing a federal budget.

In this Congress alone, Democrats like Amy Klobuchar haven’t even offered any budget proposal, because their partisan leaders – Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) – have said that to do so would be “foolish,” and that Democrats do not have the time to propose a budget.

Yet somehow, Amy Klobuchar and the Democrats found the time to take a week-long recess from Washington.  Meanwhile in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, not only did they find the time to propose and pass a budget, but they were able to accomplish this simple task by April 15, 2011.

“It’s ironic that Democrats like Amy Klobuchar say they are too busy to pass or even propose a budget, but then conveniently find the time to take a one-week vacation,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Spokesman Jahan Wilcox.  “With a national debt of $14.3 trillion, Minnesotans deserve to know how Amy Klobuchar can justify taking this vacation when she should be working on a budget that will rein in her reckless spending habits that are bankrupting our country.”

The post Amy Klobuchar Heads Home Without Even Proposing, Let Alone Passing A Budget appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

It’s been 755 days since U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and the Democrats who run the Senate have performed the most basic job function of Congress by passing a federal budget.  Additionally in the 112th Congress, Democrats like Amy Klobuchar haven’t even offered their budget proposal, because their leaders – Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) – have stated that not only do Democrats not have the time to propose a budget, but it would be “foolish” of them to do so.

“Minnesotans deserve to know if Senator Amy Klobuchar agrees with her liberal party leaders that it’s foolish for Democrats to offer their budget proposal or if she believes it’s time for the Senate to do its job and pass a budget,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Spokesman Jahan Wilcox.  “With a national debt of over $14.3 trillion, it’s time for Klobuchar to explain why her party appears more concerned with winning the next election than reining in their reckless spending habits that are bankrupting our country.”

The post Does Amy Klobuchar Believe That Senate Democrats Should Offer A Budget Proposal? appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.