Real Koch Facts

Kochs’ Greed Takes 500 American Jobs Overseas

September 15, 2015

The Koch brothers’ greed comes with a high price: 500 Americans will see their jobs at General Electric shipped overseas due to the Kochs’ Export-Import Bank takedown. Without the support of the Ex-Im, GE announced it must resort to outsourcing in order to keep a competitive edge.

According to the Wall Street Journal,

For months, GE has said that the failure to reauthorize the export financing agency, which congressional Republicans have singled out as an example of corporate welfare, would force the company to move jobs overseas or risk losing contracts for turbines, power projects and other industrial equipment.

…

Executives say that the company is bidding on $11 billion worth of projects, mostly in developing nations, and that bids won’t be entertained if they aren’t sponsored by an export credit agency. GE said, for example, that 80% of the gas turbines have been sold to countries where export credit agency sponsorship […]

Kasich Toes The Koch Line, Costs Ohio Jobs

September 14, 2015

“It’s going to affect jobs in Ohio.” That’s how a General Electric spox characterized John Kasich’s Koch-driven opposition to the Export-Import Bank.

Today the Columbus Dispatch reports that GE was considering moving their headquarters to Cincinnati, Ohio, but has rejected it because of Kasich’s insistence on toeing the Koch line and opposing authorization of the Ex-Im Bank.

The Kochs have made opposing the Ex-Im Bank a key factor in gaining their support because it benefits the billionaire Kochs’ bottom line, as revealed in a recent Bridge Project Report, “Banking on Obstruction: Koch Profits Behind Opposition to Ex-Im Bank.” While Koch-owned companies have received a modest $16.2 million from the Export-Import Bank, Koch competitors have received massive benefits to the tune of $19.4 billion.

GE’s move to Ohio could have brought hundreds of jobs to the state, but instead of doing what’s best for the Buckeye state, Kasich put the interests of the billionaire Koch brothers […]

The Anti-VAWA Company The Kochs Keep

September 14, 2015

This week, we mark the 21st anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act, a law that provides much needed funding for states, law enforcement, and nonprofit organizations for services provided to victims of violence and for the prosecution of offenders. Since its passage in 1994, VAWA has been successful in improving enforcement efforts against domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault, providing housing protection for victims, and improving educational programs to prevent crime.

But instead of standing up for our nation’s most vulnerable women, the Koch network has propped up candidates who side against expanding protections for women from sexual assault and abuse as well as pushed to strike down parts of VAWA.

Through their Koch Industries PAC, and other arms of their network, the billionaire Koch brothers have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to members of Congress who voted against VAWA:

Senator Ron Johnson voted against reauthorizing VAWA in 2013 and 2012. Johnson […]

The Kochs’ Renewed Assault On North Carolina Renewables

September 10, 2015

In North Carolina, the Kochs’ war on renewables continues.

Charles and David Koch have a long history of doing whatever they can to prevent the expansion and growth of the renewable energy industry — particularly with respect to solar power. Their war against renewables — as with any of their campaigns — comes down to protecting their profit margins.

The Kochs’ anti-renewable presence in North Carolina is nothing new, either — but now they’re ramping it up big time. And on Wednesday, Raleigh’s State Legislative Building was Koch Central.

WRAL-TV reports that the Koch brothers’ American Energy Alliance sponsored a roundtable event in opposition to renewable energy programs. It was a Koch-sponsored event moderated by a former Koch lobbyist, organized by a Koch “legislative champion” state representative who’s also an ALEC member, and featuring a panelist from the Koch-linked Institute for Political Economy.

A quick refresher on why the Kochs aren’t […]

The LIBRE Initiative’s Hypocritical Push Against The GOP Immigration Rhetoric

September 9, 2015

Today in an open letter, the LIBRE Initiative, the Kochs’ Latino outreach front group, announced its opposition to policies that over the course of the summer have come to define the Republican Party — policies that outlaw birthright citizenship or call for the mass deportation of immigrants. Executive Director Daniel Garza told NPR that the group will also be watching for “when somebody goes so far beyond the pale,” promising to call those politicians out “without regard to political consequences.”

Call us overly skeptical, but from one of Charles and David’s front groups, this doesn’t exactly pass the smell test.

The “Summer of Trump” has seen more than its share of offensive rhetoric, with nearly all Republicans (including the Kochs’ chosen) echoing the frontrunner’s extreme and distasteful speech on immigrants. Jeb Bush had his “anchor babies” blunder, Ted Cruz joked about swimming across the Rio Grande at the Kochs’ own AFP summit, and more.

These […]

Anti-Government Subsidies Company To Receive More Government Subsidies

September 9, 2015

Last week, the Department of Energy announced that it’s National Energy Technology Lab will award government grants (aka subsidies) to eight projects as part of their Carbon Capture Program. The Carbon Capture Program “is developing technologies that will enable cost-effective implementation of carbon capture and storage (CCS),” according to the DOE’s press release.

The University of Kentucky is running one of the projects with the help of Koch Modular Process Systems. Yes, as in that Koch. Now, we know this may come as a shock. How could a Koch-owned company ever take government subsidies when they are so vocally against them?

A letter to the editor published in the Boston Globe put it best:

While they do not believe in government subsidies, they have had no trouble taking them.

Now that the company they control has $115 billion in sales, they do not need subsidies. They have a vested interest in keeping other […]

Top Puerto Rico Political Commentator Blasts Rubio For Siding With The Kochs Over Puerto Rico

September 8, 2015

On Friday, just hours before he campaigned in Puerto Rico, Marco Rubio sided with the billionaire Koch brothers in opposing the fair treatment of Puerto Rico under Chapter 9 of the U.S. Bankruptcy code.

Now, Rubio is facing criticism from one of Puerto Rico’s most influential political commentators, Jay Fonseca. In a Facebook post, Fonseca blasts Rubio (translated by Bridge Project):

“I hope you’ve enjoyed yourself in my island, and that you had fun with the money you received only so you could later tell us that you don’t believe in lending a hand to your Latino brothers who live here. This senator from Florida, Marco Rubio, came to Puerto Rico as part of his bid for the U.S. presidency as the Republican nominee. The most hilarious part is, the guy came to the island without previously announcing his position on helping PR file for Chapter 9 protections under the federal bankruptcy code. And […]

Marco Rubio Embraces The Koch Brothers’ Puerto Rican Priorities

September 4, 2015

Today, just hours before he headed to Puerto Rico, Marco Rubio sided with the billionaire Koch brothers in opposing the fair treatment of Puerto Rico under Chapter 9 of the U.S. Bankruptcy code.

For months, the Kochs have been using their network affiliated groups — 60 Plus, American Future Fund, Cato, and others — to run a full court press lobbying campaign against access to Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection for Puerto Rico.

On the surface, the Koch network’s deep involvement in Puerto Rico’s financial crisis looks random and strange — but when you follow the money, no surprise, it centers on the Koch network’s bottom line.

In a recent report, “The Kochs’ Wealth Versus the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,” Bridge Project exposed the Koch connection: Supporters of Charles and David Koch’s network stand to lose a lot of money should Puerto Rico be allowed to access Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection. It’s pure self-interest, not libertarian idealism.

A new, updated version of the […]

Schooling The Kochs On Their Role In Hurricane Katrina’s Devastation

September 2, 2015

Bridge Project last week released a report exploring the Koch brothers’ role leading up to and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina — and exposing the Kochs’ previously examined contributions to the damage and opportunistic advocacy that willfully took advantage of the impacted region’s residents.

A crucial component of the Koch brothers’ involvement was their effort to advance policies to make flood insurance unaffordable to anyone but the most affluent — like them. As the Huffington Post reported:

The Bridge Project also details an unsuccessful Koch-backed legislative effort to oppose a bill that was intended to promote recovery by limiting premiums for flood insurance. The Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act sought to place a limit on rate increases for people at higher risk of being affected by hurricanes and other damaging storms.

The Koch-funded conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity and other conservative organizations signed a letter in February 2014 urging GOP lawmakers to oppose […]

Guess Those #Millennials Didn’t Like Koch Uncle Sam Ultrasounds

September 2, 2015

#Millennial. #Outreach. #Fail.

They didn’t break the news on Snapchat, but a new report from CNN reveals that Generation Opportunity, the Kochs’ youth outreach front group that tries to push their self-serving agenda to millennials, is a massive failure:

The president of one the top nonprofits bankrolled by Charles and David Koch has left the organization to start another major group in the powerful Republicans’ orbit, CNN has learned….[Generation Opportunity’s Executive Director Evan] Feinberg’s move is the most high-profile loss in what people familiar with Generation Opportunity describe as a string of senior level departures that are roiling the nonprofit group….Feinberg’s departure is one of many from Generation Opportunity: About 55% of the organization has left their jobs since late November, according to a comparison of staff lists on the organization’s website.

Generation Opportunity tries to be a mouthpiece for the Koch agenda, aiming to put the Kochs’ own profit ahead of the […]