Speaking on CBS’ 60 Minutes last night about the current problems in the Middle East, President Obama said:

“I was pretty certain and continue to be pretty certain that there are going to be bumps in the road…” (CBS’s “60 Minutes,” 9/23/12)

These are the same words he used about our economic problems in a speech last year:

“There are always going to be bumps on the road to recovery.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks, Toledo, OH, 6/3/11)

“It’s typical of President Obama and the Democrat leadership to dismiss serious problems as being ‘bumps in the road’.  While they might just be inconvenient to them, to everyone else, these ‘bumps in the road’ are real and they amount to some of the biggest diplomatic and economic challenges we’ve seen in our lifetime,” NRSC spokesman Brian Walsh said today.  “Liberal Jon Tester needs to tell Montanans whether he shares President Obama’s casual view of the position we’re in. Voters want and expect strong leadership from Government and real policy solutions, and these are things we are not seeing from Democrats in Washington these days.”

President Obama and congressional Democrats are dismissive of these problems even as evidence mounts about the scale of the challenges this country faces. On the economy, the recovery continues to be long, slow and hard for families across America:

• More Than Twenty-Three Million Americans Are Unemployed, Underemployed, Or Have Stopped Looking For Work. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, 9/10/12)

• The Latest Jobs Report Showed The “Economy Slogged Along For The 43rd Month In A Row With Joblessness Above 8 Percent.” “American employers added 96,000 jobs in August, the Labor Department reported Friday. The unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent as the economy slogged along for the 43rd month in a row with joblessness above 8 percent.” (Susanna Kim, “August Jobs Report: Unemployment Falls To 8.1 Percent,” ABC News, 9/7/12)

• In August, The Unemployment Rate Either Increased Or Was Unchanged In 38 States. “The Labor Department says rates increased in 26 states. They fell in 12 states and were unchanged in the other 12.” (Christopher S. Rugaber, “Unemployment Rates Rise In Half Of US States,” The Associated Press, 9/21/12)

• “A Record 46.7 Million Americans Received Food Stamps In June…” “A record 46.7 million Americans received food stamps in June, up 0.4 percent from the previous month, the government said. Participation was 3.3 percent higher than a year earlier and has remained higher than 46 million all year as the unemployment rate has stagnated just above 8 percent. New jobless numbers will be released Sept. 7.” (Alan Bjera, “Food-Stamp Use Climbed To Record 46.7 Million In June, U.S. Says,” Bloomberg, 9/4/12)

In the Middle East, commentators worry about the direction the Middle East is taking:

• The Wall Street Journal: “Mideast Turmoil Spreads” (The Wall Street Journal, 9/14/12)

• Bloomberg: “U.S. Officials Concerned Over What Follows Arab Spring”(Bloomberg, 9/12/12)

• The Associated Press: “Arab Winter? Spreading Anti-American Unrest Prompts Debate On US Policy In The Arab World” (The Associated Press, 9/14/12)

• The New York Times: “U.S. Is Preparing For A Long Siege Of Arab Unrest” (The New York Times, 9/15/12)

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Just as he’s done at least 55 times during his career in Washington, Montana’s liberal Senator Jon Tester stood with President Obama today and voted for a massive tax hike on Montana small businesses, families, farmers and ranchers.

“Liberal Jon Tester has never met a tax hike that he didn’t like and once again, standing behind President Obama was more important for Senator Tester than standing up for Montana farmers, ranchers and job creators,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Brian Walsh said today.  “If Montanans want to reverse course and restore fiscal responsibility in Washington, they can start by retiring Jon Tester in November.”

Remarkably, Tester’s vote came just hours after President Obama’s own Treasury Secretary testified before a House Committee and admitted that the “economy is not growing fast enough and unemployment is very high.”

BACKGROUND.…

Montana Farmers & Small Business Owners Spoke Out Against Jon Tester’s Tax Hike

FARM BUREAU: “Estate taxes are especially troublesome for farmers and ranchers. [The Reid Proposal] fails to provide any estate tax relief which would allow a $1 million per person exemption and 55 percent top rate to be reinstated on Jan. 1, 2013. A $1 million exemption is not high enough to protect a typical farm or ranch able to support a family from estate taxes…”  (Letter To U.S. Senators, American Farm Bureau Federation, 7/24/12) 

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: “Increasing taxes now will undermine economic recovery, choke off job creation, and take money out of the hands of the individuals and businesses that create jobs, spur investment, boost consumption, and promote economic growth.” (“Key Vote Alert On S. 3412, The “‘’Middle Class Tax Cut Act,’” The Chamber Of Commerce, 7/24/12) 

• “The Chamber urges you to oppose S. 3412, which would impose a massive tax hike on American businesses.” (“Key Vote Alert On S. 3412, The “‘’Middle Class Tax Cut Act,’” The Chamber Of Commerce, 7/24/12) 

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS: “This legislation would raise tax rates on small businesses at a particularly fragile time for the economy, stifling growth and investment when we can least afford it.” (National Federation Of Independent Business, Letter To Senators, 7/24/12)

• “This tax hike disproportionately impacts small businesses… will shrink the economy by 1.3 percent and result in the loss of 710,000 jobs.” (National Federation Of Independent Business, Letter To Senators, 7/24/12)

• “…the maximum estate tax rate will revert to 55 percent while the exemption level will drop to $ 1 million. This will increase the number of estates hit with the tax from 3,600 to 46,700, including 21,700 small businesses.” (National Federation Of Independent Business, Letter To Senators, 7/24/12)

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MANUFACTURERS: “…S. 3412 would result in higher taxes for the vast majority of manufacturers in the United States, threatening their ability to create jobs. …the possibility of these tax increases has forced many manufacturers to put investment and hiring plans on hold.” (National Association Of Manufacturers, Key Manufacturing Vote Letter, 7/14/12)

• “…the bill’s plan to restore estate tax rates and exemptions to pre-2001 levels would hit thousands of family-owned SMMs across our nation.” (National Association Of Manufacturers, Key Manufacturing Vote Letter, 7/14/12)

• “As our economy struggles to regain its footing, now is not the time to increase taxes on job creators and investors.” (National Association Of Manufacturers, Key Manufacturing Vote Letter, 7/14/12)

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WHOLESALER-DISTRIBUTORS: “This legislation would in fact do very great harm to the middle class it purports to help.” (National Association Of Wholesaler-Distributors, Open Letter To Senators, 7/24/12)

• “Despite the unemployment crisis, the Senate is set to vote on legislation which will indisputably make matters worse.” (National Association Of Wholesaler-Distributors, Open Letter To Senators, 7/24/12)

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Over three years ago, liberal Democrat Jon Tester was an outspoken advocate in Washington in support of a massive “stimulus” spending bill – paid for with billions of dollars borrowed from China – that he flatly predicted would put thousands of Montanans back to work.

At the same time, Tester was rallying his liberal friends to support a massive new health care law which the Supreme Court confirmed last week represents a significant tax hike on Montana families and small businesses.

And the federal debt has skyrocketed past $15 trillion in the wake of all this reckless spending, despite the fact that as a candidate in 2006, Tester routinely attacked Republicans for deficit spending and proclaimed his support for a “balanced budget.”

Yet, since the Democrats have run Washington over the last four years, our country has actually lost over 400,000 jobs, and today marks the 41^st straight month that the national unemployment rate has remained above 8 percent.

In fact, the June unemployment report shows the worst quarter of job creation in two years.

As CNBC reports:

CNBC’s John Harwood: “Not Good News For The American Economy”

“Between last week’s Supreme Court decision and today’s jobs report, it’s a sobering reminder that at a time when Senator Tester and the Democrats should have been focused on jobs, they focused instead on a massive middle class tax hike and reckless government spending programs,” National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Jahan Wilcox said today.  “Tester’s prediction that President Obama’s spending policies would actually help the Montana economy is just a reminder how out of touch his liberal record is with Montana.”
BACKGROUND…. 

Tester-Obama Economic Record….

• Since President Obama Took Office, The Nation Has Lost 473,000 Jobs And The Unemployment Rate Has Increased From 7.8 Percent To 8.2 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 7/6/12)

• The Unemployment Rate Has Remained Above Eight Percent For A Record 41 Straight Months. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 7/6/12)

• The Real Unemployment Rate, Including Those That Are Working Part-Time Due To Economic Reasons, Increased To 14.9 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 7/6/12) 

VERSUS….

Jon Tester’s Rhetoric…. 

• Tester Called The Stimulus A “Jobs Bill,” And Said It Was A “Big Victory For Middle-Class Folks In Montana.” “‘This Jobs Bill is a big victory for middle-class folks in Montana who are paying a tough price after years of failed economic policies,’ Tester said. ‘This Jobs Bill will rebuild our economy from the ground up by putting folks to work and investing in people. We won’t get out of this mess overnight, but passing the Jobs Bill is an important first step, and it will pay us back for generations to come.’” (Senator Jon Tester, “Baucus, Tester Vote For Final Jobs Bill, At Least $626 Million For Montana,” Press Release, 2/13/09)

• “‘The Word “Stimulus” Is A Washington, D.C., Word That Doesn’t Mean Much In My Book,’ Tester Said.  ‘That’s Why—From Day One—I Have Called This The Jobs Bill.  Because That’s Exactly What It Is.  You’re Either For Jobs. Or You’re Against Jobs . . . .’” (Senator Jon Tester, “Tester To Congress: ‘You’re Either For Jobs Or Against Jobs,’” Press Release, 2/11/09)

• Tester Said He Looked At The Stimulus As A “Jobs Bill,” And Said “We Needed Something To Really Put People Back To Work. I Think This Bill Does That.” MADDOW: “First of all, I know you were a big supporter of the stimulus bill. So, congratulations to you on that legislation passing the Senate today. I have to ask you if you expect to see big changes in the conference committee before the president signs it?” TESTER: “Well, I really don’t. And I really look at it as a jobs bill, Rachel. I think that, you know, when you have the unemployment rates like we’ve had over the last three months, we needed something to really put people back to work. I think this bill does that.” (MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show,” 2/10/09)

• Tester: “I Think You’re Going To See Job Creation Out Of This [Stimulus] Bill Within 90 Days.” (Kellyn Brown, “Tester On The Flathead, Stimulus Plan And Partisanship,” Flathead Beacon, 2/17/09)

• September 2011: “Tester Said He Won’t Run Away From His Votes, And That The Stimulus Bill Helped Create Jobs In Montana, ‘Stopped The Bleeding’ In A Badly Damaged Economy, And Stopped Massive Job Losses. ‘We have a ways to go, because we’re not creating enough jobs, but we’re certainly not losing jobs like we were,’ he said.” (Mike Dennison, “Tester: If Truth On My Record Gets Out, I Win,” Billings Gazette, 9/18/11) 

• February 2011: Tester: “That’s Why I’m Proud Of My Vote For The Recovery Act.  A Bill That Put Thousands – Let Me Repeat, Thousands – Of Montanans To Work.” (Senator Jon Tester, “Tester’s Address To Montana State Legislature,” Press Release, 2/11/11)

• “[J]on Helped Write And Pass The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act, Which Created Jobs Through Infrastructure Projects such as the Rocky Boy’s/North Central Regional Water System, which will deliver clean drinking water to more than 50,000 people across northcentral Montana.” (Jon Tester Senate Campaign Website, www.jontester.com, Accessed 6/26/12)

The post Tester’s Out-Of-Touch Record Crashes Into Reality, Again appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

BACKGROUND…. 

JON TESTER’S RHETORIC

• Tester Said The Health Care Law “Is A Good Law, And It Is A Law I Believe Is Right For Montana.” “Montanans will come out ahead under health care reform legislation passed by Congress and signed by the president, Sen. Jon Tester told an audience in Billings on Tuesday. ‘It is a good law, and it is a law I believe is right for Montana,’ Tester said. ‘It is going to be a huge step forward for Montana families.’” (Diane Cochran, “Tester Takes Questions On Health Care Reform,” Billings [MT] Gazette, 3/30/10)

• Tester Called The Stimulus A “Jobs Bill,” And Said It Was A “Big Victory For Middle-Class Folks In Montana.” “‘This Jobs Bill is a big victory for middle-class folks in Montana who are paying a tough price after years of failed economic policies,’ Tester said. ‘This Jobs Bill will rebuild our economy from the ground up by putting folks to work and investing in people. We won’t get out of this mess overnight, but passing the Jobs Bill is an important first step, and it will pay us back for generations to come.’” (Senator Jon Tester, “Baucus, Tester Vote For Final Jobs Bill, At Least $626 Million For Montana,” Press Release, 2/13/09)

• Tester’s Press Release Said The Stimulus Would Create “Millions Of New Jobs” And Cut Taxes “By Hundreds Of Billions Of Dollars.” “Both of Montana’s U.S. Senators today voted in favor of a plan to rebuild America’s struggling economy by creating millions of new jobs, investing in long-term infrastructure, and cutting taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars. Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester voted to pass the Jobs Bill, formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.” (Senator Jon Tester, “Baucus, Tester Vote For Final Jobs Bill, At Least $626 Million For Montana,” Press Release, 2/13/09)

• Tester: “I’m Not About To Put My Kids’ Future And Opportunity On The Line So I Can Spend Money Like A Drunken Sailor. I Am Going To Be Fiscally Responsible.” (Montana Senate Debate, www.youtube.com, 10/12/06)

• Tester: “My Folks Did Not Teach Me To Not Have A Fiscal Balanced Budget. It’s Absolutely Critical.” (Montana Senate Debate, www.c-spanvideo.org, 6/25/06) (48:40)

• Tester: “It’s Time You Have Somebody Back There That Knows How To Balance A Checkbook. I’ve Balanced It On My Farm. I’ve Balanced It In The State Legislature.” (Montana Senate Debate, www.c-spanvideo.org, 9/10/06) (38:49)

When The Democrats Took Control Of Congress And Tester Was Sworn-In To The Senate In January Of 2007, The Debt Was Over $8.6 Trillion. (U.S. Department Of Treasury, www.treasurydirect.gov, Accessed 12/9/10)

VERSUS….. 

JON TESTER’S ECONOMIC RECORD

TESTER RECORD IN A NUTSHELL

February 2012: “Tester Has Voted For Some Of The Biggest Government Spending Bills In History; The Stimulus Package And The Health Care Reform Bill. It’s Something Tester Is Proud Of. ‘We were on the edge of a financial and economic meltdown,’ he said. ‘I won’t back away from what we’ve done. We’ve taken some controversial votes. We’ve taken some difficult votes, but we’ve done it for the right reasons. We’ve done it for Montana.’” (Sarah Gravlee, “Two Contenders Battling For The Win,” KULR 8 Billings, www.kulr8.com, Posted 2/16/12)

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Just four days after the U.S. Department of Labor announced that the national unemployment rate climbed to 8.2 percent in April and on the same day the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported that “the long-term outlook for the national debt [is] increasingly dire,” Montana’s junior Senator Jon Tester cast his lot with America’s trial lawyers today ahead of his state’s small business owners.

Tester joined with his liberal Democrat party leaders today in support of the so-called “Paycheck Fairness Act,” a bill that is opposed by virtually every major small business organization in the country – see below – and even the liberal Washington Post editorial board warned that it represents “a flawed approach to job bias…[and] could make employers vulnerable to attack for responding to market forces.”

And as the Wall Street Journal opined today, “The bill ought to be called the ‘Trial Lawyer Paycheck Act,’ since it is a recipe for a class-action boom….It’s a walking advertisement for gridlock, a partisan stunt that would hurt the economy for no other reason than to pay off the Democratic donors in the tort bar.”

“It speaks volumes about Jon Tester’s misplaced, liberal priorities that while unemployment rises and our federal debt climbs, he’s more concerned with scoring political points and helping his trial lawyer friends,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Lance Trover said today.  “Montana small business owners and families deserve a Senator who will put their values first, and someone who is more focused on growing jobs, rather than just saving his own.” 

BACKGROUND….

Also note what the Wall Street Journal wrote this morning:

• “The U.S. already has two broad federal laws—the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1963 Equal Pay Act—that prohibit gender-based pay discrimination. In case that wasn’t enough, Congress passed the Lilly Ledbetter Act in 2009 that as recently as March Mr. Obama said ‘ensures equal pay for equal work.’ What changed in the last three months?”

In fact, Senator Tester has yet to address how he squares his rhetoric today with what he claimed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act would already accomplish when it was signed into law three years ago….

• Tester Said The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act “Clarifies The Law To Make It Fair To America’s Workers.” Tester: “Lilly Ledbetter worked at Goodyear Tire Company for 19 years, and she discovered she was being paid significantly less than her male colleagues for doing the exact same amount of work. A jury agreed. The jury awarded Ms. Ledbetter significant–significant–damages. The U.S. Supreme Court said too much time had passed since her first paycheck, and the Court ruled that Ms. Ledbetter’s claim was invalid and even took away that jury award. Thankfully, this legislation undoes that wrongheaded decision. It clarifies the law to make it fair to America’s workers.” (Sen. Jon Tester, Congressional Record, 1/22/09, p. S742-S743) 

• Tester’s Campaign Website: “Jon Helped Pass The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act To Make Sure Women Are Paid An Equal Wage For An Equal Day’s Work.” (Sen. Jon Tester’s Campaign Website, www.jontester.com, Accessed 6/5/12)

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND….

Jobs Groups, Top Newspaper Editorial Boards Have All Blasted The Democrats’ Bill, Warning It ‘Would Spawn Frivolous Lawsuits’

JOBS GROUPS LETTER: “The provisions of the Paycheck Fairness Act would harm employers of all sizes, as the bill would apply to employers with as few as two employees. The threat the bill poses to small business is particularly troubling given the draconian penalties found in this legislation, which include unlimited damages regardless of whether a pay discrepancy was unintentional.” (Letter To Sens. Reid And McConnell, 22 Jobs Groups, 5/24/12)

• “This flawed legislation could outlaw many legitimate practices that employers currently use to set employee pay rates, even where there is no evidence of intentional discrimination. Common practices that a court could find unlawful under S. 3220 include providing premium pay for professional experience, education, shift differentials or hazardous work, as well as pay differentials based on local labor market rates or an organization’s profitability.” (Letter To Sens. Reid And McConnell, 22 Jobs Groups, 5/24/12)

• “A number of federal laws already specifically protect employees from pay discrimination, including the Equal Pay Act, the Civil Rights Act and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.” (Letter To Sens. Reid And McConnell, 22 Jobs Groups, 5/24/12) 

• Letter Signed By: U.S. Chamber of Commerce; American Bakers Association; American Bankers Association; American Hotel & Lodging Association; Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc.; College and University Professional Association for Human Resources; Food Marketing Institute; HR Policy Association; International Public Management Association for Human Resources; National Association of Manufacturers; National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors; National Council of Chain Restaurants; National Council of Textile Organizations; National Federation of Independent Business; National Public Employer Labor Relations Association; National Restaurant Association; National Retail Federation; National Roofing Contractors Association; Printing Industries of America; Retail Industry Leaders Association; Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council; Society for Human Resource Management

U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE:  “Unlawful pay discrimination is abhorrent, but this bill is not a responsible way to address it.” (“Mikulski Plan For Women’s Pay Gets New Push,” The Baltimore Sun, 5/23/12) 

• “The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is opposing the legislation and will send a letter later this week urging senators to defeat it, arguing it would spawn frivolous lawsuits.” (“Equal Pay Bill Puts Romney On The Line On Women,” The Washington Times, 5/29/12) 

• “…As a practical matter it is just one more thing that creates a disincentive to do business here in the United States. If you are looking at where to open a new business, it is going to be a factor…” (“Business Community Opposes Paycheck Fairness Act,” The Daily Caller, 11/13/10) 

SOCIETY FOR HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT:  “…SHRM opposes Federal government efforts to second-guess employers in making pay decisions…” (“HR Alert! Oppose The Paycheck Fairness Act,” SHRM Statement, 5/30/12) 

• SHRM: “The bill would also have a negative impact on employee privacy by encouraging employees to publicize their colleagues’ wages.” (“HR Alert! Oppose The Paycheck Fairness Act,” SHRM Statement, 5/30/12) 

EDITORIALS: ‘A Flawed Approach,’ ‘Grossly Intrusive’

CHICAGO TRIBUNE: “…grossly intrusive on decision-making by private businesses. At least one group would get a fatter paycheck from the Paycheck Fairness Act: trial lawyers.” (Editorial, “Paycheck Fairness?,” The Chicago Tribune, 11/12/10) 

WASHINGTON POST: “Paycheck Fairness Act: A flawed approach to job bias… could make employers vulnerable to attack for responding to market forces… not the right fix.” (Editorial, “Paycheck Fairness Act: A Flawed Approach To Job Bias,” The Washington Post, 9/28/10) 

• “…risks tilting the scales too far against employers and would remove, rather than restore, a sense of balance.” (Editorial, “Two Sides Of Fair Pay In Bills Before The Senate,” The Washington Post, 1/15/09) 

BOSTON GLOBE: “…the measure as a whole is too broad a solution to a complex, nuanced problem… The bill would create too strong a presumption in favor of discrimination over other, equally plausible explanations…” (Editorial, “Bill Takes On Disturbing Pay Gap — But Offers Flawed Remedies,” The Boston Globe, 11/17/10) 

• “… the controversial meat of the bill is the changes it would make to the legal process… companies are right to be concerned that this bill, as written, is too deep an intrusion.” (Editorial, “Bill Takes On Disturbing Pay Gap — But Offers Flawed Remedies,” The Boston Globe, 11/17/10)

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After Refusing To Even Introduce A Budget & Voting Against Four Separate Proposals, Tester Has The Audacity To Attack Rehberg 

File this one under “You Can’t Make It Up” – as of today it has now been 1,066 days since Jon Tester and Senate Democrats last passed a budget in the U.S. Senate, while the federal debt has skyrocketed past $15 trillion.  And just as they did last year, Tester and his Democratic colleagues are refusing to even introduce a budget in the Senate this year.

Yet, as Politico reports, Tester’s campaign had the audacity to put this out yesterday after the Republican-led House voted on a budget:

• Tester’s camp anticipated this vote, and charged that it’s irresponsible for Rehberg to be against both the GOP blueprint and the president’s budget.  “Congressman Rehberg just voted against seven different budget proposals–from the right, left and center–without offering any alternatives of his own. It might be politically convenient to vote against everything, but Montanans deserve real solutions–not whatever’s convenient for Dennis Rehberg,” said Tester campaign spokkesman Aaron Murphy.

Clearly Mr. Murphy would have been well-advised to check his own candidate’s record because on a single day last year, Senator Tester voted against four separate budget proposals while again, refusing to even introduce his own proposal.  On May 25^th, 2011:

• Tester first voted against the House budget (a motion to proceed to it)

• And then he voted against the President’s budget (Again, a motion to proceed)

• and then he voted against a third budget proposal offered by Senator Pat Toomey (Again, a motion to proceed)

• and then he voted against a fourth budget proposal offered by Senator Rand Paul (Again, a motion to proceed)

In other words, Senator Tester did not vote for a single budget proposal, and instead fell in line behind his leader Harry Reid who said this to the Los Angeles Times in an interview just five days before those votes:

• Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said it would be “foolish” for Democrats to propose their own federal budget for 2012, despite continued attacks from Republicans that the party is ducking its responsibility to put forward a solution to the nation’s deficit problems. “There’s no need to have a Democratic budget in my opinion,” Reid said in an interview Thursday. “It would be foolish for us to do a budget at this stage.”

This is all the more ironic because as a candidate in 2006, Tester routinely claimed to support a balanced budget and pilloried his opponent Conrad Burns for government spending.  Click here to watch just one example.

“It’s clear Senator Tester will literally say or do anything to get re-elected but his hypocrisy on the budget debate has reached new levels.  For over three years, Senator Tester and his liberal friends in Washington have refused to pass a budget while our debt has skyrocketed past $15 trillion,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Brian Walsh.  “Montanans deserve a fiscal conservative, Republican Senator who will rein in Barack Obama’s reckless tax-and-spend agenda.”   

BACKGROUND …

FLASHBACK

In 2006, Jon Tester Promised That He Would Support A Balanced Budget  

CLICK HERE TO WATCH JON TESTER
# # #

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Two years ago today – with the help of liberal U.S. Senator Jon Tester who was a fierce supporter of Barack Obama’s job-killing healthcare bill – President Barack Obama signed his $1.76 trillion job-killing healthcare bill into law.  The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has released a web video reminding Montanans of the broken promises from ObamaCare.

Senator Tester promised the healthcare bill would reduce healthcare costs for millions of people, but since this legislation has been signed into law, costs have risen by 9 percent and the average premium has risen by $1,300. 

Meanwhile, Tester and his fellow Democrats claimed the healthcare bill would cost $940 billion, but recently the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office released a report that found ObamaCare would actually cost $1.76 trillion.

Click The Screenshot Below To View The NRSC’s New Web Video

“Liberal U.S. Senator Jon Tester promised Barack Obama’s healthcare bill would lower the cost of healthcare, but today Montanans are paying more for healthcare than ever before,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Brian Walsh.  “Between the job-killing taxes, the intrusive federal mandates and the raiding of Medicare funds, it’s clear Jon Tester misled Montanans about the true effects of his government-run healthcare plan.”

BACKGROUND …

Since The Signing Of ObamaCare Healthcare Costs Have Increased

BLOOMBERG:  “The average cost of a family policy climbed 9 percent in 2011 to $15,073, according to a poll of 2,088 private companies and state and local government agencies by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in Menlo Park, California, and the Chicago- based American Hospital Association’s Health Research and Educational Trust.” (Jeffrey Young, “Health-Benefit Costs Rise Most In Six Years,” Bloomberg, 9/27/11)

WALL STREET JOURNAL:  “[In 2011], the health-insurance premiums employers pay rose sharply this year, with the average annual cost of family coverage passing the $15,000 mark for the first time, according to a major survey.” (“Employer Health Premiums Rise Sharply,” The Wall Street Journal, 9/27/11) 

WALL STREET JOURNAL: “The average annual family premium for 2011 was $15,073, up from $13,770 last year.” (“Employer Health Premiums Rise Sharply,” The Wall Street Journal, 9/27/11)

Meanwhile The CBO Has Increased The Price Tag Of ObamaCare To $1.76 Trillion

FOX NEWS:  The Congressional Budget Office has extended its cost estimates for President Obama’s health care law out to 2022, taking in more years of full implementation, and showing that the bill is substantially more expensive — twice as much as the original $900 billion price tag.  (Jim Angle, New CBO health law estimate shows much higher spending past first 10 years, Fox News, 03/14/12)

The post On The Two Year Anniversary Of ObamaCare, NRSC Fact Checks Tester & Obama’s Job-Killing Healthcare Law appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF JON TESTER’S HEALTHCARE LAW

When liberal U.S. Senator Jon Tester made President Barack Obama’s intrusive healthcare bill the law of the land, we knew it would force every Montanan to purchase health insurance, but now we are learning that it will give 15 unelected bureaucrats the power to decide which healthcare decisions are best for Montanans.   

In fact, the American Hospital Association, along with over 70 medical groups warned Tester and his fellow Democrats that the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) could limit seniors’ access to Medicare and even the infrastructure for the entire healthcare system. 

Additionally, it’s been reported that the IPAB’s true end game is to arbitrarily control the price of healthcare and decide what type of medical treatments patients in Montana can receive. 

As the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board writes:

Public opposition to the Affordable Care Act has grown in surprising and unpredictable ways since the entitlement passed two years ago, but few would have predicted then that so many Democrats would repudiate so many of President Obama’s core promises. Yet that is happening now, as Congress targets the 15-member central committee that is supposed to control health costs. … This turn is remarkable because the IPAB really does embody ObamaCare’s innermost values and beliefs—to wit, that health decisions are too important to leave to the people receiving the care (patients), the people providing the care (doctors and hospitals), the people paying for the care (taxpayers), or even the people who got the government involved in the first place (politicians). (Editorial, Independent Payment Advisory Revolt, Wall Street Journal, 03/09/12)

Notably, the House of Representatives in a bipartisan manner voted to strip the IPAB of their power, but liberal Democrat Jon Tester has remained silent.  

“Not only does Jon Tester’s intrusive healthcare bill force every Montanan to purchase health insurance, it also gives 15 unelected bureaucrats control of their healthcare decisions,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Brian Walsh. 

BACKGROUND ….

OBAMACARE ALLOWS FOR UNELECTED BUREAUCRATS TO CONTROL HEALTH CARE

ObamaCare Created The Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) “To Come Up With Ways To Cut Medicare Spending If It Grows Too Fast.” “That’s the job description for the 15 members of the Independent Payment Advisory Board – the new panel created by President Barack Obama’s health care law to come up with ways to cut Medicare spending if it grows too fast.” (David Nather, “Medicare Cost-Cutting Job Could Be Worst in D.C.,” Politico, 5/14/11)

• “If Per Capita Costs Grow By More Than GDP Plus 0.5%, This Board Would Get More Power, Including An Automatic Budget Sequester To Enforce Its Rulings” To Cut Medicare Costs. “Fifteen members will serve on the Independent Payment Advisory Board, all appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. If per capita costs grow by more than GDP plus 0.5%, this board would get more power, including an automatic budget sequester to enforce its rulings. So 15 sages sitting in a room with the power of the purse will evidently find ways to control Medicare spending that no one has ever thought of before and that supposedly won’t harm seniors’ care, even as the largest cohort of the baby boom generation retires and starts to collect benefits.” (Editorial Board, “The Presidential Divider,” The Wall Street Journal , 4/14/2011)

The Wall Street Journal : IPAB Embraces The Thought That Health Care Decisions Are Best Made By Bureaucrats Rather Than Patients. “This turn is remarkable because the IPAB really does embody ObamaCare’s innermost values and beliefs-to wit, that health decisions are too important to leave to the people receiving the care (patients), the people providing the care (doctors and hospitals), the people paying for the care (taxpayers), or even the people who got the government involved in the first place (politicians).” (Editorial, “Independent Payment Advisory Revolt,” The Wall Street Journal , 3/9/12)

IPAB Threatens Patient Care

Obama’s HHS Secretary Admits That IPAB Threatens Seniors’ Access To Certain Procedures. “‘If Congress accepted the recommendations and made the decision that cuts in dialysis were appropriate,’ Sebelius replied, ‘I assume there could be some providers who would decide that would not be a service they would any longer deliver…’” (Kathleen Sebelius, “IPAB: The Controversial Consequences For Medicare And Seniors,” House Energy And Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee, 7/13/11)

Witnesses At A Recent Congressional Hearing Argued That IPAB Would Reduce Access To Medical Care. “The Independent Payment Advisory Board, created under the health care law to help control Medicare costs, lacks flexibility to do much more than cut provider payments that would lead to a reduction in access to care, witnesses told a House Ways and Means panel March 6.” (Ralph Lindeman, “IPAB Would Reduce Access to Care, Witnesses Tell Ways and Means Panel,” Bloomberg, 3/7/12)

The Wall Street Journal : IPAB’s “End Game” Will Limit Patient Care.” “The only alternative, and the IPAB’s true end game, is harsher and more arbitrary price controls and eventually limits on the care patients are allowed to receive. The New England Journalists (of Medicine) deny this reality because ObamaCare has a clause that prohibits ‘rationing,’ even as the law leaves that term undefined. But reducing treatment options will be inevitable as government costs explode.” (Editorial, “Independent Payment Advisory Revolt,” The Wall Street Journal , 3/9/12)

• The Wall Street Journal : IPAB Will Allow Bureaucrats To “Throw Granny Over The Cliff.” “One place to start is by attacking the Democratic plan to cut Medicare via political rationing. Mr. Ryan’s budget had the virtue of embarrassing President Obama’s spend-more initial budget, and the White House responded by proposing to increase the power of the new Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) to decide what, and how much, Medicare will pay for. The ObamaCare bill goes to great lengths to shelter this 15-member, unelected board from Congressional review, with the goal of letting these bureaucrats throw granny over the cliff if Medicare isn’t reformed. Yet few Americans know anything about IPAB or its rationing intentions.” (Editorial, “The GOP’s New York Spanking,” The Wall Street Journal , 5/26/11)

Industry Groups Worry That IPAB’s Actions Will Result In “Rationing.” “While the board is not supposed to be able to cut benefits, industry groups fear that its actions would result in rationing care. The board … could cut payments to health care providers.” (Duff Wilson, “Industry Aims At Medicare Board,” The New York Times‘ ” Prescription,” 11/4/10)

Paul Howard And Douglas Holtz-Eakin: IPAB Is “Fatally Flawed,” Spurns Innovation, And Will “Threaten Seniors’ Access To Care.” “IPAB is fatally flawed, structured to punish innovative health care providers and threaten seniors’ access to care while leaving the largest sources of Medicare spending untouched. It continues Washington’s obsession with price-fixing in Medicare’s separate ‘silos’ rather than changing the incentives that have led to rampant overspending, fraud and uneven care quality.” (Paul Howard & Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Op-Ed, “Repeal And Replace IPAB,” Politico, 7/12/11)

IPAB BUREAUCRATS WILL HAVE NO ACCOUNTABILITY

Membership To The IPAB Is Not Limited To Health Care Professionals. “The Act requires the appointed membership of the IPAB to include individuals who enjoy ‘national recognition’ in several stated aspects of health policy, including health finance and economics, and further stipulates occupations which should be represented on the Board including physicians and ‘experts in pharmaco-economics.’ The Act specifies that the appointed IPAB members have broad geographic representation and that the Board be balanced between urban and rural representatives. In order to preclude conflicts of interest, the Act stipulates that a majority of the appointed members of the IPAB are not be persons ‘directly involved’ in the provision or management of the delivery of items and services covered by Medicare.” (Congressional Research Service, Memo To Senator Coburn, 3/18/11)

ObamaCare Gives Obama The Power To Appoint Members To IPAB During Recess. “Because the President’s recess appointment authority is unqualified, it appears that he could fill member positions on the IPAB by recess appointment during any period when he could otherwise make such appointments. Under certain circumstances, such appointments might be subject to pay restrictions, but the analysis of such a possibility is beyond the scope of this memorandum.” (Congressional Research Service, Memo To Senator Coburn, 3/18/11)

The American Medical Association Opposes IPAB On The Ground That The Board Has Little “Accountability.” “The AMA has consistently expressed its opposition to the IPAB on several grounds. The IPAB puts important health care payment and policy decisions in the hands of an independent body that has far too little accountability.” (James L. Madara, American Medical Association CEO, Letter To Representatives Joe Pitts, 2/27/12)

The post Tester’s Healthcare Law Gives 15 Unelected Bureaucrats The Power To Decide The Healthcare Decisions For Montanans appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

When liberal U.S. Senator Jon Tester voted for President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, it included a slew of job-killing taxes that are crushing small businesses across Montana and our country. 

The healthcare law also includes $500 billion in new taxes, including a harmful tax on the medical device community – that will hit over 175 medical device companies in Montana – and is estimated to kill 45,000 jobs nationwide. 

Additionally, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has stated the healthcare law will kill 800,000 jobs nationwide.

• QUESTION: “In your estimation, the health care law would reduce employment by 800,000…”
• DOUGLAS ELMENDORF, CBO Director: “Yes… there would be a reduction of 800,000 workers.” (U.S. House Of Representatives, Budget Committee, Hearing, 2/10/11)

• QUESTION: “The last question is, it’s been argued and was argued here yesterday with the chairman, that the new health care law will create jobs and increase labor force participation. But if I recall from your analysis, it was quite the opposite. Is that not the case?”
• DOUGLAS ELMENDORF, CBO Director: “Yes.” (U.S. House Of Representatives, Budget Committee, Hearing, 2/10/11)

“Jon Tester’s decision to provide the deciding vote for Barack Obama’s healthcare bill will destroy 800,000 jobs nationwide and it’s crushing small businesses across Montana,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Brian Walsh.  “With over 32,000 unemployed Montanans, it’s clear Montana cannot afford Barack Obama and Jon Tester’s job-killing healthcare law.”

BACKGROUND …

The Medical Device Tax Will Kill 45,000 Jobs 

BOSTON HERALD:  “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.  “It’s an outrage. It is soaking one of the last remaining industries in this country that pays (higher-than-average wages),” CEO Ray Elliott said at an industry conference in New York. “We’ve been very clear: We will have a lot less employees, if somebody tags us with a hundred million dollars worth of taxes.”   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 WITH TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY APPROACHING, THE CONSEQUENCES OF JON TESTER’S HEALTHCARE LAW appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Despite campaigning on the promise of fiscal responsibility, President Obama and Senate Democrats including Montana’s Jon Tester, have added an additional $4.7 trillion to the national debt in just the last three years – bringing America’s total debt to over $15.3 trillion.  Yet, instead of reversing course on their failed economic policies, President Obama and Jon Tester are doubling-down on their call for higher taxes, more Washington spending and an even bigger federal debt.

The President today introduced his annual budget which includes $1.5 trillion in new taxes, much of which has previously been endorsed by Senator Tester, while ensuring a fourth straight year of trillion-dollar-plus deficits.  What’s worse – Senator Tester and his fellow Senate Democrats have said they do not even intend to pass a budget for the third straight year, clearly recognizing the political peril of their tax-and-spend policies.  

“The national debt now exceeds the U.S. GDP, and yet the answer from President Obama and Senate Democrats is to tax more, spend more, and charge more to the credit card of future generations,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Brian Walsh said today.  “And if Montanans want to see how five years in Washington has changed Jon Tester then they don’t need to look any further than to recall his campaign rhetoric in 2006 versus his record of voting in lockstep with President Obama on every big government initiative.” 

“The Obama-Tester budget and their call for higher taxes and even more spending is yet another defining difference in this year’s election, and one that they will be held accountable for this November,” Walsh concluded.  

The post Obama & Tester Double-Down – Again – In Support Of Job-Killing Taxes, More Washington Spending & A Record Debt appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.