Monday, January 16, 2012
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Koch Industries)
Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a pro-big business group that, along with sibling organizations also funded by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, has spent millions advocating against health care reform, labor unions, federal stimulus spending and the existence of global warming, has announced a list of its favorite U.S. senators and representatives. Only five Senators and thirty-nine congressmen—all Republicans—achieved perfect “A+” scores of 100%, while another eight senators and forty-five representatives—GOPers all—got an “A” for scoring between 90 and 99 percent. Among those earning an “A” is Representative Mike Pompeo, a Republican from the Kansas district where Koch Industries is headquartered, who accused the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s internship program of allegedly excluding students who do not share President Barack Obama’s “radical” views on the environment.
AFP’s top five Senators, who have received a combined $187,400 in campaign contributions from the Koch empire, are Tom Coburn (Oklahoma), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Orrin Hatch (Utah), Marco Rubio (Florida), and Ron Johnson (Wisconsin). The eight earning an “A” are Bob Corker (Tennessee), Jon Cornyn (Texas), Jim Inhofe (Oklahoma), John McCain (Arizona), Jim Risch (Idaho), Jeff Sessions (Alabama), Pat Toomey (Pennsylvania), and David Vitter (Louisiana). In their last elections alone, those eight received at least a combined $87,100 from Koch interests. No Democratic Senators earned an “A,” and one, Kent Conrad of North Dakota, was the only Senator to score an F.
AFP based its ratings on votes during the recently completed First Session of the 112th Congress in favor of repealing President Obama’s new healthcare law, blocking the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases, ending ethanol subsidies, blocking an increase in taxes paid by oil and gas companies and passing the budget proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin).
-Matt Bewig
Five U.S. Senators Are Perfect Koch Servants, Americans For Prosperity Reports (by Brad Johnson, Think Progress)
Koch Brothers' Front Group Announces Grades for Congress. Five Senators, 39 Representatives Get A+ (by Timothy Lange, DailyKos)
Congressman from Koch Attacks $30,000 EPA Intern Program (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
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