“Rob Hogg is just another down-the-line liberal who is more concerned with his own agenda than he is with helping Iowa families. Whether he’s hammering job creators with higher taxes or holding back Iowa’s economy with radical environmental measures, Hogg is simply out of touch. Chuck Grassley has dedicated his life to serving the Hawkeye State and his strong leadership stands in stark contrast to the failed policies embraced by Rob Hogg.” – NRSC spokesman Greg Blair
BACKGROUND
Hogg Voted Repeatedly For Higher Taxes
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Hogg Voted To Establish A Retroactive Sales Tax On Heavy Equipment That Is Applicable To All Tax Years Starting On July 1, 2008. (H.F. 2438, Adopted 26-21-3, Hogg Voted Yea, 3/27/14)
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Hogg Voted Against Reducing Certain Business Property Taxes, Which Included Increasing The Earned Income Tax Credit From 7% To 15% And Applying Specific Business Properties Exempt From Taxation. (S.F. 2344, Failed 24-23-3, Hogg Voted Nay, 5/8/12)
- Hogg Voted For Senate Study Bill 1272, Which Would Increase Sales And Use Taxes. (S.S.B. 1272, Adopted 8-7, Hogg Voted Yea, 5/4/15)
Hogg Supports Obamacare
In March 2014, Hogg Said ObamaCare “Clearly Works” And “We Can’t Go Back.” “State Sen. Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, who attended the Linn County insurance update, said some of the officials need to look at the progress that has been made, and he believes this is a movement that no longer can be reversed. ‘There’s always people who aren’t really excited for it, but there are always new proposals, there’s always going to be change,’ Hogg said. ‘We can’t go back. There’s more room to improve the Affordable Care Act, but there’s people interested in it, and it clearly works.’” (“Linn County Successful In Medicaid Expansion,” The Gazette, 3/29/14)
Hogg Is A Left-Wing Environmental ‘Crusader’
Hogg Has Called Climate Change America’s “New National Purpose.” “The state senator, Rob Hogg of Cedar Rapids, is a crusader who argues that climate change not only is the defining issue of our times but that response to climate change will shape almost everything that happens this century. … Which brings us back to Sen. Hogg and Iowa. His talk at Iowa State University last week was one of several in which he has argued that action on climate change is America’s ‘new national purpose’ and this generation’s supreme challenge.” (Richard Doak, Op-Ed, “Doak: We Need To Focus On Coping As Climate Fluctuates,” Des Moines Register, 9/15/13)
In January 2013, Hogg Hosted A Seminar At The Far-Left Green Party’s Annual Meeting In Iowa City. “Activists from across the country are in Iowa City this weekend for the Green Party Annual National meeting. … Iowa Sen. Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, hosted a seminar about environmental policy at the meeting Thursday night. He was joined by Iowa Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City, and Francis Thicke, who ran for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture as a Democrat in 2010. Hogg said that even though the Democrats and Greens are technically partisan foes, he wants to join forces on issues where there’s common ground, like climate change action. ‘What we need to do is get people of all political parties to put a priority on meeting our obligations for future generations. I see an opportunity to address that,’ Hogg said. ‘We need citizens to speak up, whatever your party.’” (Adam B. Sullivan, “Iowa City Hosting Green Party Meeting,” Iowa City Press-Citizen, 1/26/13)
Hogg Opposes The Keystone Pipeline Because It “Would Increase Global Dependence On The Dirty Tar Sands Of Canada.” “This pipeline would increase global dependence on the dirty tar sands of Canada, and would also endanger America’s water, wildlife, and values, by condemning Americans farms and ranches for a pipeline to take foreign oil across America to Port Arthur, Texas, for sale on the global market.” (Senator Rob Hogg, “America’s Climate Century: What Climate Change Means For America In The 21st Century And What Americans Can Do About It,” 2013, p. 105)