WASHINGTON — When Senator Claire McCaskill first came to Washington in January 2007, the federal debt stood at $8.6 trillion – a figure which took over 200 years for our country to reach.  Yet, just five years later, and particularly over the last three years as McCaskill has rubber-stamped every major spending initiative proposed by President Obama, the federal debt has now hit the once-unfathomable mark of $15 trillion – a 74 percent increase and more than $48,000 for every American man, woman and child.To mark the United States Treasury reaching the $15 trillion debt mark today, and to highlight the massive spending by Senator McCaskill and President Obama that has led to this point, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) released a new web video – “$15,000,000,000,000…Siriously”

“As a candidate for the Senate in 2006, Senator McCaskill talked about the importance of fiscal responsibility, but since coming to Washington she and her fellow Democrats have used the federal treasury like their own personal credit card,” NRSC spokesman Chris Bond said today.  “As she prepares to face Missouri voters next year, Senator McCaskill will have to explain why she’s rubberstamped President Obama’s reckless spending agenda, including his failed stimulus and government health care bill, instead of focusing on creating jobs and growing our economy.”

Click Here To Watch The NRSC’s New Video

$15,000,000,000,000… Siriously

BACKGROUND….

THE NATIONAL DEBT HAS HIT THE $15 TRILLION MARK

The National Debt Is Now $15.0 Trillion Dollars. (US Department Of The Treasury, TreasuryDirect.gov, Accessed 11/16/11)

Since President Obama Took Office And Senate Democrats Rubberstamped His Spending Agenda, The National Debt Has Risen $4.4 Trillion, An Increase Of Over 41 Percent. (US Department Of The Treasury, TreasuryDirect.gov, Accessed 11/16/11)

HOW MUCH IS $15 TRILLION?

$15 Trillion Is More Than The Value Of All The Goods And Services Produced In The United States Last Year. (“Gross Domestic Product,” Bureau Of Economic Analysis, BEA.gov, Accessed 11/3/11)

In FY2010, The Bureau Of Engraving And Printing Produced $974 Million Worth Of Currency. At That Rate, It Would Take 15,400 Years To Print $15 Trillion. (“Annual Production Figures,” Bureau Of Engraving And Printing, Accessed 11/3/11)

·         It Would Take The Average Household Over 300 Million Years To Pay Off The National Debt On Their Own.(Press Release, “Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010,” US Census Bureau, 9/13/11)

To Pay Off $15 Trillion In Debt, The Federal Government Would Have To Devote Every Dollar Of Revenue To Paying Off The Debt For 6.5 Years. (“Monthly Budget Review,” Congressional Budget Office, 10/7/11)

In 2006, Senator McCaskill Expressed Support For A Federal Balanced Budget

“McCaskill, Beaming As She Introduced Her Children, Mother, Sister And Husband, Said She Could ‘Smell Change’ In Her Travels Around Missouri, Which She Believes Wants To Return To A Time Of Balanced Budgets, National Security, Health Care And Prosperity For The Masses . . . .” (Cheryl Wittenauer, “Former President Clinton Stumps In For McCaskill In St. Louis,” The Associated Press, 9/9/06)

During Her 2006 Campaign For U.S. Senate, McCaskill Said “This Is All About Change . . . Let’s Bring Some Common Sense Back To The Equation,” And Noted The Budget Had Not Been Balanced. “‘This is all about change,’ McCaskill said to raucous applause in Joplin on Wednesday, where more than 100 supporters crammed into the tiny Democratic Party headquarters. ‘Let’s bring some common sense back to the equation,’ McCaskill told about 45 voters Friday in Milan standing outside the county courthouse. ‘They’re not balancing the budget. They’ve got us in a mess in Iraq. They’ve done nothing to solve the immigration problem,’ she said of the GOP.” (Deirdre Shesgreen, “Down To The Wire Claire McCaskill Has Scoured Rural And Urban Missouri To Energize Democrats,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 11/5/06)

McCaskill: “Well, You Know, I Think, To The Extent That I’ve Had To Multitask As A Single Mom With Three Kids And Do More With Less, I Think I Can Help Balance The Budget, Because I’ve Had To Do That In My Life.” (MSNBC, 11/8/06)

“State Auditor Claire McCaskill . . . Said She Supports The Line-Item Veto. ‘I’m For Getting Rid Of Any Excuse The Republicans Have To Keep Them From Balancing The Budget,’ McCaskill Said In A Written Statement.” (Jason Rosenbaum, “Veto Power Faces Hurdle Talent And McCaskill Favor Line-Item,” Columbia [MO] Daily Tribune, 6/30/06)

McCaskill’s 2006 Campaign Website: “Fiscal Sanity Must Be Restored In Washington. Economic Growth Depends On Cracking Down On Our Record Deficits And Reckless Spending.” (Claire McCaskill For U.S. Senate 2006 Website, www.claireonline.com, Accessed 3/30/11)

·         “Washington Has Made A Mess Out Of Our Finances. Reckless Spending, Runaway Deficits, a growing trade imbalance with China, all add up to a dire fiscal picture impacting every Missourian.” (Claire McCaskill For U.S. Senate 2006 Website, www.claireonline.com, Accessed 3/30/11)

“Claire Pledges To Take On The Sacred Cows In D.C. And Force Them To Take Deficit Reduction Seriously.” (Claire McCaskill For U.S. Senate 2006 Website, www.claireonline.com, Accessed 3/30/11)

“Our National Debt Is Now At A Staggering $9 Trillion. In Washington, Claire Will Fight To Restore Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) Funding So That Washington Is Forced To Put Its Fiscal House In Order.” (Claire McCaskill For U.S. Senate 2006 Website, www.claireonline.com, Accessed 3/30/11)

The post NRSC Statement On Claire McCaskill’s Latest Fiscal Legacy – A $15 Trillion Debt appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

At the time, Senator Claire McCaskill simply offered a vaguely worded statement expressing her hope that the new Supercommittee would have a “broad focus.”   Over the last 24 hours, however, voters in Missouri have started to get a better idea of what, exactly, Senator McCaskill and her fellow liberal Democrats in Congress meant by that.

Late yesterday, Senate Democrats leaked their current proposal to numerous media outlets, and its highlights include $1.3 trillion in new tax hikes, as well as upwards of $300 billion in new “stimulus” spending sought by President Obama.

“We certainly appreciate Senator McCaskill’s excitement via Twitter over the World Series, and wish the Cardinals the best in Game Six, but she should take a moment and tell Missouri taxpayers if $1.3 trillion in new tax hikes and $300 billion in new stimulus spending is what she meant by a ‘broad focus,’” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Chris Bond.

“It’s a remarkable commentary on the misplaced priorities and addiction to spending by Democrats in Washington that they would propose massive tax hikes and even more government spending, instead of making a serious effort to pay down our almost $15 trillion debt.  We look forward to hearing from Senator McCaskill herself on her party’s proposal while she’s in Missouri this week,” Bond concluded.

BACKGROUND ON SENATE DEMOCRATS “DEFICIT REDUCTION PROPOSAL…..

·         Democrats suggested Wednesday that too much has already been cut from non-defense spending to come up with $1.2 trillion in cuts over the next 10 years, as sources offered a few details about a Democratic proposal to collect $1.3 trillion via tax hikes, stimulus spending and benefits cuts. (Fox News, “Democrats Balk at Non-Defense Spending Cuts, Float Alternative Proposal to Super Committee,” 10/26/2011)

·         In a private meeting of the deficit panel Tuesday, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, presented a proposal backed by a majority of Democrats on the panel that includes more than a trillion dollars in tax increases. The revenue would partially cover stimulus spending for the economy, aides said.  More than 50 percent of the deficit reduction in the plan would come from tax increases, one source said. (The Hill, “Supercommittee Dems push for stimulus to be part of deficit deal,” 10/26/2011)

·         According to congressional sources, the plan includes a roughly equal mix of spending cuts and revenue increases; between $200 billion and $300 billion in new economic stimulus spending that would be paid for with lower interest payments from reducing deficits. (Reuters, “US Democrats seek up to $3 trln in budget savings,” 10/26/2011)

·         Congressional Democrats are urging the debt-reduction supercommittee to pursue a far-reaching agreement to slice $3 trillion from the federal budget over the next decade through significant cuts to federal health programs, including Medicare, and as much as $1.3 trillion in new taxes. (Washington Post, “Congressional Democrats offer $3 trillion debt deal,” 10/26/2011)

·         Aides said Democrats also had included new spending measures aimed at boosting job-creation in their plan, and proposed using some of the savings they had identified to offset the budgetary cost of these measures. (Wall Street Journal, “Democrats’ Deficit Plan Rejected by GOP,” 10/26/2011)

·         Aides confirmed reports that Baucus also pressed members of the super committee to approve the president’s request for as much as $300 billion in new stimulus, another idea GOP members of the exclusive panel have strongly resisted. (ABC News, “Details of Dem Proposal Leak Out of Super Committee,” GOP Silent on Next Move, 10/26/2011)

·         What Democrats are doing is playing the exact same game as President Obama played with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, during the debt limit talks, when he made an offer Boehner couldn’t accept, and then leaked it to the press. In both cases, the point is to feign a willingness to offer cuts to entitlements, and then impose unacceptable conditions on Republicans in attempt to paint them as being intransigent. (Washington Examiner, “Super cmte” Dems propose tax hikes, more stimulus, 10/26/2011)

·         Of course, what else would you expect from a group of lawmakers that hasn’t passed an actual budget in nearly three years? (National Review Online, “Senate Dems Propose Massive Tax Hike, More Stimulus ,” 10/26/2011)

The post Is This McCaskill’s Definition Of A “Broad Focus” For The Deficit Reduction Supercommittee? appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

WASHINGTON — In a series of votes that once again defined her Senate career as a reliable rubber-stamp for President Obama, Senator Claire McCaskill last night voted to impose a permanent new tax on Missouri business owners to pay for another temporary stimulus bill, while also blocking a Republican effort to ensure captured terrorists are not offered the same rights as common criminals.  And she did this all within a one-hour period of time.

“Claire McCaskill preaches fiscal responsibility in Missouri, but she votes like a typical tax-and-spend, big government liberal when she’s back in Washington,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Chris Bond said today. “This vote defined a clear difference in next year’s Senate race – Claire McCaskill believes it’s the federal government that creates jobs with higher taxes and more spending, while Republicans believe it’s time for Democrats in Washington to get their boots off the backs of America’s small businesses.”

McCaskill voted in support of Obama’s latest stimulus bill despite concerns raised by a coalition of business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Businesses, who noted that 80% of those impacted by the Democrats’ new tax are business owners and it would have a negative impact on investment income to grow businesses and create jobs.  Democrats also reversed their own positions, including President Obama, who said in 2009 that the last thing Congress should do is raise taxes in a recession.

In a separate vote last night, McCaskill also stood with her liberal leaders in blocking a Republican effort, sponsored by U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), to ensure that captured terrorists are not offered the same due process rights as common criminals.  As the Washington Post reported, the Democrats’ vote to kill this measure handed “a victory” to President Obama.

“Once again, Claire McCaskill stood behind President Obama, instead of standing up for Missouri voters who believe captured terrorists should be treated like enemy combatants instead of common criminals.  This is the liberal mindset at its worst, but President Obama and Claire McCaskill apparently believe that captured terrorists should be treated nicely,” Bond concluded.

FLASHBACK….

Claire McCaskill Claimed The Obama “Stimulus” Was “Wildly Successful.” (Fox News Sunday, 11/28/2010)

·         Reality: 2.2 Million Jobs Have Been Lost Since Obama Took Office. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Accessed 10/7/11)

The post McCaskill Votes To Hike Taxes On Missouri Businesses, While Coddling Captured Terrorists appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

The post Obama & McCaskill’s Endless Summer… appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

The post Unemployment Rises To 9.1% In Wake Of McCaskill & Obama’s Failed $787 Billion Stimulus appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.