What do Joni Ernst, Tom Cotton, Cory Gardner, and Mitch McConnell all have in common? They all share key aspects of the Kochs’ extreme, self-serving, anti-working families agenda.
New reporting tonight by The Nation and Huffington Post on audio from a secretive Koch donor conference – where Ernst, Gardner, Cotton, and McConnell all spoke – demonstrates these candidates’ gratitude for the Kochs’ support, and the extent to which they share the extreme Koch agenda.
Whether opposing an increase in the minimum wage (or opposing a federal minimum wage entirely), supporting efforts that would voucherize Medicare, opposing legislative attempts to remedy pay discrimination, or opposing (even “philosophically”) policies that would directly assist those they seek to serve (e.g., the Farm Bill in Arkansas and Renewable Fuel Standards in Iowa), Koch-backed candidates are putting their Koch-backed agenda first above all else.
BACKGROUND:
MITCH MCCONNELL & THE KOCH AGENDA
McConnell And The Koch Brothers Opposed A Federal Minimum Wage Increase
Mitch McConnell Continually Voted Against Raising The Minimum Wage
As A Senator, Mitch McConnell Voted At Least 17 Times Against Increasing The Federal Minimum Wage. According to Senate roll calls obtained from the Secretary of the Senate, Mitch McConnell voted against an increase in the federal minimum wage on at least seventeen different votes. [Secretary of the Senate, Vote 117, 4/30/14; Vote 23, 1/24/07; Vote 179, 6/21/06; Vote 26, 3/7/05; Vote 257,10/19/05; Vote 76, 4/7/00; Vote 356, 11/9/99; Vote 239, 7/30/99; Vote 94, 4/28/99; Vote 77, 3/25/99; Vote 278, 9/22/98; Vote 184, 7/9/96; Vote 183, 7/9/96; Vote 519, 10/27/95; Vote 344, 7/31/95; Vote 68, 5/17/89; Vote 39, 4/12/89]
Koch Brothers Founded And Funded Americans For Prosperity Opposed Raising The Minimum Wage
Americans For Prosperity Identified Opposition To Raising The Minimum Wage As A Key Vote. Americans for Prosperity’s online scorecards of key votes in the 110th, 111th, 112th and 113th Congresses included one vote on raising the minimum wage: 2007 House vote 18, on the Fair Minimum Wage Act. AFP opposed passage of the bill. [AFP Scorecards for the 110th, 111th, 112th and 113th Congresses, Viewed 4/16/14]
Charles Koch Opposed The Minimum Wage
2013: Charles Koch Identified The Federal Minimum Wage As An “Obstacle” To Economic Prosperity, And Said That He Wanted To “Clear Those Out.” According to the Wichita Eagle, “The point of it, Koch said, is that he believes prosperity grows where economic freedom is greatest, where government intervention in business affairs is kept to a minimum. He hopes his ideas will help the country grow, he said. In his interview he emphasized several times that he believes his ideas on economics will help disadvantaged people. […] ‘Anything that people with limited capital can do to raise themselves up, they keep throwing obstacles in their way. And so we’ve got to clear those out. Or the minimum wage. Or anything that reduces the mobility of labor.’” [Wichita Eagle, 7/9/13]
David Koch Ran For Vice-President In 1980 On Ticket That Advocated Abolishing The Minimum Wage
Koch Running Mate Ed Clark: “We Should Abolish The Minimum Wage Laws.” In his book, “A New Beginning,” Clark wrote: “We should abolish the minimum wage laws and licensing laws so that people can once again be free to compete and to work, so that no bureaucrat or politician backed by special interested can ever again stand between a human being and a chance to work for a living, bringing with it the dignity of self-reliance, not the dehumanizing dependency of helpless poverty and unemployment.” [A New Beginning, p. 97, August 1980]
McConnell And The Koch Brothers Opposed Extending Federal Unemployment Benefits
Mitch McConnell Consistently Voted Against Extending Unemployment Benefits
In 2014, Mitch McConnell Voted At Least 12 Times Against Extending Unemployment Benefits. According to Senate roll calls obtained from the Secretary of the Senate, Mitch McConnell voted against extending federal unemployment benefits on at least twelve different votes in 2014. [Secretary of the Senate, Vote 101, 4/7/14; Vote 100, 4/3/14; Vote 97, 4/2/14; Vote 96, 4/2/14; Vote 90, 3/27/14; Vote 24, 2/6/14; Vote 23, 2/6/14; Vote 10, 1/14/14; Vote 9, 1/14/14; Vote 8, 1/14/14; Vote 3, 1/9/14; Vote 2, 1/7/14]
Koch Brothers Founded And Funded Americans For Prosperity Opposed Unemployment Benefits
Americans For Prosperity Identified 11 Votes Against Legislation Starting Or Extending Federal Unemployment Benefits As Key Votes. Americans for Prosperity’s online scorecards of key votes in the 110th, 111th, 112th and 113th Congresses included 16 votes on legislation that contained provisions initiating or extending federal unemployment benefit programs. Those votes were 2012 House vote 659, 2012 Senate vote 251, 2011 House vote 275, 2010 Senate vote 259, 2010 Senate vote 258, 2009 House vote 70, 2009 House vote 46, 2009 Senate vote 64, 2009 Senate vote 61, 2008 House vote 412 and 2008 House vote 330. [AFP Scorecards for the 110th, 111th, 112th and 113th Congresses, Viewed 4/16/14]
Americans For Prosperity Foundation: “Unemployment Insurance Causes Both Job-Seekers And Employers To Make Decisions That Depress Employment In The Economy.” According to the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, “Unemployment insurance causes both job-seekers and employers to make decisions that depress employment in the economy. Job-seekers receive benefits that encourage them to remain unemployed while employers pay taxes so burdensome that they have fewer resources to pay current employees. While UI is undoubtedly well-intentioned, policymakers should keep these severe unintended consequences in mind.” [AmericansForProsperityFoundation.com,June 2012]
McConnell And The Koch Brothers Supported FY 2012 Ryan Budget That Turned Medicare Into A Voucher Program
Mitch McConnell Supported The Ryan Plan
2011: McConnell Voted To Consider FY 2012 Ryan Budget, Which Replaced Medicare With A Premium Support Plan. In May 2011, McConnell voted to consider replacing Medicare with a premium support plan, as part of Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2012 to 2021. According to the Congressional Research Service, “Under the new system, Medicare would pay a portion of the beneficiaries’ premiums, i.e., provide ‘premium support.’ The payments would be adjusted for age, health status, and income and would be paid directly by the government to the insurance plan selected by the Medicare beneficiary. In addition, plans with healthier enrollees, would be required to help subsidize plans with less healthy enrollees.” The vote was on a motion to proceed to consider the resolution; the motion failed by a vote of 40 to 57. [Senate Vote 77, 5/25/11; CRS, 4/13/11]
Koch Brothers Founded And Funded Americans For Prosperity Supported The Ryan Plan
2011: AFP Backed FY 2012 Ryan Budget, Which Replaced Medicare With A Premium Support Plan. According to AFP’s congressional scorecard for the 112th Congress, AFP took a “yes” position the House vote on House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2012 to 2021 which included a proposal to replace Medicare with a premium support plan. [AFP Scorecard for the 112th Congress, 2/1/13; CRS Report #R41767, 4/13/11]
TOM COTTON & THE KOCH AGENDA
Cotton And The Koch Brothers Opposed The Farm Bill
Tom Cotton Was Only Member Of The Arkansas Delegation To Vote Against The Farm Bill
Cotton Was The Only Member Of The Arkansas Delegation To Vote Against The Farm Bill. According to an Arkansas Farm Bureau press release, “The U.S. House of Representatives voted down the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013. With a vote of 195 for and 234 against, the House rejected the proposal, leaving a huge question about U.S. farm programs going forward. Out of the Arkansas delegation Reps. Rick Crawford, Tim Griffin, and Steve Womack voted for the proposal. Rep. Tom Cotton voted against it.” [Arkansas Farm Bureau Press Release, 6/20/13]
Koch Brothers Founded And Funded Americans For Prosperity Opposed Farm Bill
In January 2014, Americans For Prosperity Opposed The Farm Bill Conference Report And Urged Members Of Congress To Vote “No.” According to the AFP’s scorecard website, AFP took the position “No” on both the House and Senate votes on the 2014 Farm Bill conference report, which reauthorized federal farm and nutrition assistance programs through fiscal year 2018. [Senate Vote 21 (2014), AFP Scorecard website, Viewed 8/25/14; House Vote 31 (2014), AFP Scorecard website, Viewed 8/25/14; Congressional Quarterly, 1/28/14]
Cotton And The Koch Brothers Opposed The Paycheck Fairness Act
Tom Cotton Opposed Paycheck Fairness
Cotton Spokesperson Said That He Opposed The Paycheck Fairness Act. According to the Arkansas News, “‘On the issues that really matter to women and families in Arkansas, issues like paycheck fairness for women in the workplace, Congressman Cotton just isn’t listening to us,’ Amy Schlesing, a spokeswoman for Pryor’s campaign, said in a statement announcing the ad. Last year, House Democrats attempted to bring the bill up for debate but were denied on a procedural vote, 226-192. Cotton voted against considering the measure.[…] Caroline Rabbitt, a spokeswoman for Cotton, said he opposes the bill but supports equal pay for equal work — as is already required by law.” [Arkansas News, 4/8/14]
Koch Industries Lobbied Against Paycheck Fairness
In 2010, Koch Industries Lobbied On The Paycheck Fairness Act. According to Politifact, “Similarly, in 2010, Koch Industries hired the firm of Siff and Lake for $50,000 to lobby Congress on a handful of bills. According to a lobbying report, one of the bills was ‘S. 182, the Paycheck Fairness Act,’ a bill very similar to the current Senate bill. Specifically, Koch Industries wanted to discuss how the bill would change the way employers justify wage disparities. The reports don’t specify whether someone is for or against the legislation. A spokeswoman for Koch Industries did not respond to multiple requests for comment. But their past positions opposing government regulation makes us confident they were against the legislation. If they want to get back to us to dispute this, we’re all ears.” [Politifact, 4/14/14]
Flint Hill Resources, A Koch Subsidiary, Lobbied On The Paycheck Fairness Act. According to Politifact, “In 2009, Flint Hills Resources, a subsidiary of Koch Industries, spent $960,000 lobbying Congress on a wide range of issues, from energy to taxes. Listed among the bills Flint Hills Resources lobbied are a previous incarnation of the Paycheck Fairness Act and what would become known as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which passed both chambers of Congress and was eventually signed by President Barack Obama into law.” [Politifact, 4/14/14]
David Koch Ran For Vice President On Platform Opposing Equal Pay Legislation
During The 1980 Presidential Campaign, David Koch’s Presidential Ticket Opposed Equal Pay Legislation.According to the Ed Clark For President Committee, On The Issue, Women’s Rights White Paper, “I support the concept of equal pay for equal work, for example, and I believe that women should have as much upward mobility in corporations as men do. But I do not believe legislation – government coercion – is either the moral or the most effective way to reach these goals.” [Ed Clark For President Committee, On The Issue, Women’s Rights White Paper, 1980]
Cotton And The Koch Brothers Supported FY 2012 Ryan Budget That Turned Medicare Into a Voucher Program
Tom Cotton
Cotton Supported Paul Ryan FY 2012 Budget. According to National Review, “Nonetheless, [Cotton] supports Rep. Paul Ryan’s ‘Path to Prosperity’ plan and a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution.” [National Review, 10/7/11, via CottonforCongress.com, accessed 11/14/13]
Koch Brothers
AFP Backed FY 2012 Ryan Budget, Which Replaced Medicare With A Premium Support Plan. According to AFP’s congressional scorecard for the 112th Congress, AFP took a “yes” position the House vote on House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2012 to 2021 which included a proposal to replace Medicare with a premium support plan. [AFP Scorecard for the 112th Congress, 2/1/13; CRS Report #R41767,4/13/11]
JONI ERNST & THE KOCH AGENDA
Ernst And The Koch Brothers Opposed A Federal Minimum Wage Increase
Joni Ernst
Ernst Opposed Raising The Minimum Wage. According to a transcript of the U.S. Senate Republican Primary debate hosted by Iowa Public Television, “Borg: But you avoided, to the best of my knowledge you avoided saying whether or not to raise the current – Ernst: I would not raise the current one. I do believe that we have a number of people that will start in those introductory level jobs and hopefully then progress out of those jobs into better paying jobs as their skills increase.” [IPTV, 4/24/14]
Koch Brothers Founded And Funded Americans For Prosperity Opposed Raising The Minimum Wage
Americans For Prosperity Identified Opposition To Raising The Minimum Wage As A Key Vote. Americans for Prosperity’s online scorecards of key votes in the 110th, 111th, 112th and 113th Congresses included one vote on raising the minimum wage: 2007 House vote 18, on the Fair Minimum Wage Act. AFP opposed passage of the bill. [AFP Scorecards for the 110th, 111th, 112th and 113th Congresses, Viewed 4/16/14]
Charles Koch Opposed The Minimum Wage
2013: Charles Koch Identified The Federal Minimum Wage As An “Obstacle” To Economic Prosperity, And Said That He Wanted To “Clear Those Out.” According to the Wichita Eagle, “The point of it, Koch said, is that he believes prosperity grows where economic freedom is greatest, where government intervention in business affairs is kept to a minimum. He hopes his ideas will help the country grow, he said. In his interview he emphasized several times that he believes his ideas on economics will help disadvantaged people. […] ‘Anything that people with limited capital can do to raise themselves up, they keep throwing obstacles in their way. And so we’ve got to clear those out. Or the minimum wage. Or anything that reduces the mobility of labor.’” [Wichita Eagle, 7/9/13]
David Koch Ran For Vice-President In 1980 On Ticket That Advocated Abolishing The Minimum Wage
Koch Running Mate Ed Clark: “We Should Abolish The Minimum Wage Laws.” In his book, “A New Beginning,” Clark wrote: “We should abolish the minimum wage laws and licensing laws so that people can once again be free to compete and to work, so that no bureaucrat or politician backed by special interested can ever again stand between a human being and a chance to work for a living, bringing with it the dignity of self-reliance, not the dehumanizing dependency of helpless poverty and unemployment.” [A New Beginning, p. 97, August 1980]
Ernst And The Koch Brothers On EliminatingThe Renewable Fuel Standard
Joni Ernst
Ernst Spokesman Said That “In A Perfect World, In A Free Market, She Would Support Doing Away With [The RFS].” According to the Sioux City Journal, “‘I understand that we are an ag economy here in Iowa and until we eliminate those subsidies across the board — every sector and at the same time — I’m going to continue to support the RFS,’ Ernst says. It’s the difference between a perfect world and the real world, according to campaign spokeswoman Gretchen Hamel. ‘In a perfect world, in a free market, she would support doing away with (the RFS), but that’s not the case,’ Hamel explained.” [Sioux City Journal, 7/29/14]
Ernst Was “Philosophically Opposed” To The Renewable Fuel Standard. According to the Sioux City Journal, “That’s no surprise to Sarah Benzing, campaign manager for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate and Iowa 1st District Rep. Bruce Braley, because ‘Ernst said she’s ‘philosophically opposed’ to the RFS.’ She is, Ernst says, but until all federal mandates and subsidies are eliminated is ‘philosophically opposed,’ the state senator from Red Oak will continue to support the Renewable Fuel Standard – the RFS. It requires fuel refiners to replace some of their traditional fuels with liquids like corn-based ethanol.
Koch Brothers Founded And Funded Americans For Prosperity Opposed Renewable Fuels Standards
Americans For Prosperity Official Said That “AFP Supports Efforts To Repeal The RFS Entirely. We Have Endorsed Legislation In Congress That Does So.” According to testimony from Christine Harbin Hanson, Federal Affairs Manager for Americans for Prosperity, during a public hearing by the Environmental Protection Agency, “On behalf of over 2 million AFP activists in all 50 states, I am pleased to have the opportunity to comment on the proposed rule for the 2014 Standards for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program. Let me state from the start that AFP supports efforts to repeal the RFS entirely.” [Christine Harbin Hanson – Environmental Protection Agency, Public Hearing Testimony, 12/5/13]
Americans For Prosperity Official Said That “AFP Strongly Supports Efforts To Permanently Eliminate The RFS.”According to testimony from Christine Harbin Hanson, Federal Affairs Manager for Americans for Prosperity, during a public hearing by the Environmental Protection Agency, “Given it’s numerous downsides, AFP strongly supports efforts to permanently eliminate the RFS.” [Christine Harbin Hanson – Environmental Protection Agency, Public Hearing Testimony,12/5/13]
Charles Koch Opposed Ethanol Subsidies
Koch Industries CEO Charles Koch Opposed Ethanol Subsidies. According to the Des Moines Register, “Charles Koch – the new owner of ethanol plants at Fairbank, Iowa Falls, Menlo, and Shell Rock – has come out against tax credits or other subsidies for biofuels. Koch’s position isn’t necessarily a surprise; the Koch family has long espoused conservative political positions. In an article in the Wall Street Journal last week, Koch, who is CEO of Koch Industries, wrote ‘because of government mandates, our refining business is essentially obligated to be in the ethanol business. We believe that ethanol – and every other product in the marketplace – should be required to compete on its own merits, without mandates, subsidies or protective tariffs. Such policies only increase the prices of those products, taxes and the cost of many other goods and services.” [Des Moines Register, 3/6/11]
Ernst And The Koch Brothers Supported Privatizing Social Security
Joni Ernst Supported Private Social Security Accounts
Ernst Supported “Transitioning” Younger Workers From Social Security To Personal Savings Accounts, Which Could Include Investments In The Stock Market. According to a debate prompt about Social Security answered by state Sen. Joni Ernst, “However, we do need to look at younger workers as they are working their way towards that Social Security age. Those younger workers that are entering the workforce now–James, this would be you–but, entering the workforce, transitioning them into perhaps a personal savings account. And again, something that cannot be raided by federal bureaucrats. It is their own savings account. Whether it’s tied to the market, whether it is an interest-bearing savings account, those are some things that we need to have discussions on.” [KWQC, 5/19/14]
Koch Brothers Founded And Funded Americans For Prosperity Advocated For Private Social Security Accounts
Americans For Prosperity Foundation Supported Private Social Security Accounts. According to Americans for Prosperity Foundation, “Thankfully, there is a better way. We could empower workers with a choice: stay with the tax-and-benefit system of Social Security as it is now, or save and invest your same payroll tax contributions through a personal savings account. Instead of seeing their hard-earned dollars funneled through Washington to pay for current retirees’ benefits, workers would truly own and control the accumulated funds and could invest them with a wide variety of investment funds offering different mixes of stocks and bonds and different levels of risk and reward.” [AmericansForProsperityFoundation.com, February 2012]
David Koch Ran For Vice-President In 1980 On A Platform That Advocated Eliminating Social Security
Clark-Koch Called Social Security “The Most Serious Threat To The Future Stability Of Our Society Next To The Threat Of Nuclear War.” According to a press release from the Clark for President Committee, “Clark said Social Security ‘the most serious threat to the future stability of our society next to the threat of nuclear war.’” [Clark for President Committee, 9/24/80]
CORY GARDNER & THE KOCH AGENDA
Gardner And The Koch Brothers Opposed A Federal Minimum Wage Increase
Cory Gardner
Gardner Opposed Increasing The Federal Minimum Wage. According to an interview with The Ross Kaminsky Show on 850 KOA News Radio, Gardner said, “So we saw this past week that, as the Congressional Budget Office report issued, economists who validate the fact that jobs will be lost—hundreds of thousands of people will lose their jobs—jobs will be lost as a result of a minimum wage increase.” [850 KOA, 2/23/14]
Koch Brothers Founded And Funded Americans For Prosperity Opposed Raising The Minimum Wage
Americans For Prosperity Identified Opposition To Raising The Minimum Wage As A Key Vote. Americans for Prosperity’s online scorecards of key votes in the 110th, 111th, 112th and 113th Congresses included one vote on raising the minimum wage: 2007 House vote 18, on the Fair Minimum Wage Act. AFP opposed passage of the bill. [AFP Scorecards for the 110th, 111th, 112th and 113th Congresses, Viewed 4/16/14]
Charles Koch Opposed The Minimum Wage
2013: Charles Koch Identified The Federal Minimum Wage As An “Obstacle” To Economic Prosperity, And Said That He Wanted To “Clear Those Out.” According to the Wichita Eagle, “The point of it, Koch said, is that he believes prosperity grows where economic freedom is greatest, where government intervention in business affairs is kept to a minimum. He hopes his ideas will help the country grow, he said. In his interview he emphasized several times that he believes his ideas on economics will help disadvantaged people. […] ‘Anything that people with limited capital can do to raise themselves up, they keep throwing obstacles in their way. And so we’ve got to clear those out. Or the minimum wage. Or anything that reduces the mobility of labor.’” [Wichita Eagle, 7/9/13]
David Koch Ran For Vice-President In 1980 On Ticket That Advocated Abolishing The Minimum Wage
Koch Running Mate Ed Clark: “We Should Abolish The Minimum Wage Laws.” In his book, “A New Beginning,” Clark wrote: “We should abolish the minimum wage laws and licensing laws so that people can once again be free to compete and to work, so that no bureaucrat or politician backed by special interested can ever again stand between a human being and a chance to work for a living, bringing with it the dignity of self-reliance, not the dehumanizing dependency of helpless poverty and unemployment.” [A New Beginning, p. 97, August 1980]
Gardner And The Koch Brothers Opposed The Paycheck Fairness Act
Cory Gardner
2013: Gardner Voted Against Considering The Paycheck Fairness Act, Which Would Make It Easier For Women To Successfully Sue Over Pay Discrimination, And Increase Employer Penalties In Such Cases. In April 2013, Gardner effectively voted to block House consideration of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which, according to the Congressional Research Service, would “increase penalties for employers who pay different wages to men and women for ‘equal work,’ and would add programs for training, research, technical assistance, and pay equity employer recognition awards.” [House Vote 97, 4/11/13; Congressional Quarterly, 4/11/13; CRS Report #RL31867, 11/22/13; “The Vote on the Previous Question: What It Really Means,” House Rules Committee Minority Staff Memo, 3/18/10]
Koch Industries Lobbied Against Paycheck Fairness
In 2010, Koch Industries Lobbied On The Paycheck Fairness Act. According to Politifact, “Similarly, in 2010, Koch Industries hired the firm of Siff and Lake for $50,000 to lobby Congress on a handful of bills. According to a lobbying report, one of the bills was ‘S. 182, the Paycheck Fairness Act,’ a bill very similar to the current Senate bill. Specifically, Koch Industries wanted to discuss how the bill would change the way employers justify wage disparities. The reports don’t specify whether someone is for or against the legislation. A spokeswoman for Koch Industries did not respond to multiple requests for comment. But their past positions opposing government regulation makes us confident they were against the legislation. If they want to get back to us to dispute this, we’re all ears.” [Politifact, 4/14/14]
Flint Hill Resources, A Koch Subsidiary, Lobbied On The Paycheck Fairness Act. According to Politifact, “In 2009, Flint Hills Resources, a subsidiary of Koch Industries, spent $960,000 lobbying Congress on a wide range of issues, from energy to taxes. Listed among the bills Flint Hills Resources lobbied are a previous incarnation of the Paycheck Fairness Act and what would become known as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which passed both chambers of Congress and was eventually signed by President Barack Obama into law.” [Politifact, 4/14/14]
David Koch Ran For Vice President On Platform Opposing Equal Pay Legislation
During The 1980 Presidential Campaign, David Koch’s Presidential Ticket Opposed Equal Pay Legislation.According to the Ed Clark For President Committee, On The Issue, Women’s Rights White Paper, “I support the concept of equal pay for equal work, for example, and I believe that women should have as much upward mobility in corporations as men do. But I do not believe legislation – government coercion – is either the moral or the most effective way to reach these goals.” [Ed Clark For President Committee, On The Issue, Women’s Rights White Paper, 1980]
Gardner And The Koch Brothers Supported FY 2012 Ryan Budget That Turned Medicare Into A Voucher Program
Cory Gardner Supported The Ryan Plan
2011: Gardner Voted For FY 2012 Ryan Budget, Which Replaced Medicare With A Premium Support Plan. In April 2011, Gardner voted for replacing Medicare with a premium support plan, as part of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2012 to 2021. According to the Congressional Research Service, “Under the new system, Medicare would pay a portion of the beneficiaries’ premiums, i.e., provide ‘premium support.’ The payments would be adjusted for age, health status, and income and would be paid directly by the government to the insurance plan selected by the Medicare beneficiary. In addition, plans with healthier enrollees, would be required to help subsidize plans with less healthy enrollees.” The vote was on passage; the resolution passed by a vote of 235 to 193. [House Vote 277, 4/15/11; CRS Report #R41767, 4/13/11]
Koch Brothers Founded And Funded Americans For Prosperity Supported The Ryan Plan
2011: AFP Backed FY 2012 Ryan Budget, Which Replaced Medicare With A Premium Support Plan. According to AFP’s congressional scorecard for the 112th Congress, AFP took a “yes” position the House vote on House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2012 to 2021 which included a proposal to replace Medicare with a premium support plan. [AFP Scorecard for the 112th Congress, 2/1/13; CRS Report #R41767, 4/13/11]