Real Koch Facts

LIBRE’s Support Of Trump-Loving Joe Heck Bad For Hispanics, Nevada

September 13, 2016

The executive director for the Koch brothers’ front group for Hispanic outreach, the LIBRE Initiative, reiterated the group’s support for Joe Heck this morning on NPR’s Morning Edition. In explaining his group’s opposition to Catherine Cortez Masto, who would be the first Hispanic woman to serve in the Senate, Garza praised Heck for his views on immigration reform. LIBRE, a group that claims to advocate for Hispanics, is supporting a man who believes the United States should end birthright citizenship. Conveniently, Garza also ignored Heck’s full embrace of Donald Trump–a man who wants to form a “deportation force” to expel 11 million people without papers.

LIBRE has a long history of attempting to broaden the GOP’s appeal to Hispanic voters while advocating for policies and politicians that harm those same voters.

Garza himself testified against DAPA, which protects millions from being deported. Garza decried DAPA as “executive […]

LIBRE Pushes Koch Anti-Government Extremism On Struggling Puerto Rico

June 30, 2016

Today, President Obama will sign PROMESA, a last minute attempt at helping Puerto Rico two days before the territory owes its next debt payment. The legislation is hardly perfect but in the face of default Democrats and Republicans attempted to work together for some solution. Loud opposition to the government assisting Puerto Rico has been a road block to previous legislation.

The Koch brothers have been some of the most active opponents to helping the territory restructure its debt. Several Koch allies, including donor Ken Griffin, have interests in Puerto Rico and hope to profit off the economic downturn. Leading their efforts is their Latino front group, the LIBRE Initiative. LIBRE claims it advocates for issues that benefit Latino communities; however, they lobby first and foremost for the Kochs’ agenda — meaning they regularly fight for policies that negatively affect Latino communities. LIBRE has joined the Kochs to fight against raising […]

Koch Backed LIBRE Drinks The Trump Kool-Aid

June 1, 2016

The executive director of the Koch-backed LIBRE Initiative Dan Garza has officially drank the Party of Trump Kool-Aid. In an interview with Telemundo (translated by American Bridge), Garza told Jose Diaz-Balart he was confident the anti-immigration demagogue could consolidate the Republican party:

I think Donald Trump has exceeded all expectations. He has beaten sixteen other candidates. At the same time, he has proved to be a master at handling the media. So, for me, I think that it’ll be a bit difficult, but he will be able to consolidate the party and unite the different factions to advance his candidacy and achieve what I think will be a victory. It is very possible, very probable that he will do so.

This is the latest sign that LIBRE is cozying up to a Trump candidacy. Garza had said that the front group would focus on Senate races rather than helping the presumptive GOP nominee win over the […]

LIBRE Opposes Rule To Boost Latino Wages

May 12, 2016

The Koch brothers’ LIBRE Initiative‘s stated goal is, “to equip the Hispanic community with the tools it needs to be prosperous.” In a shockingly hypocritical and ironic move, LIBRE is opposing new overtime rules that would disproportionately benefit Latino workers.

The newly introduced protections would affect 2.1 million Latinos currently exempted form overtime protections. Latinos only compose 11.6% of salaried workers, but would represent 15.5% of newly protected workers. Furthermore, a staggering 48% of Latino women currently lacking overtime protections would now be included.

In condemning the new rule, LIBRE Initiative President Daniel Garza trotted out the tired cliche about Washington, “arbitrarily choosing winners and losers in the economy.” The true motivation for LIBRE’s opposition is overtly transparent: Being required to pay salaried earners a fair amount for overtime work would damage the Kochs’ bottom line. What’s good for the Kochs’ is good for LIBRE. What’s good […]

New Report: “¿Cómo se Dice ‘Koch Brothers Front Group’? ANSWER: LIBRE Initiative” by LVP & Bridge Project

April 29, 2016

For Immediate Release
April 29, 2016

Pili Tobar | pili.tobar@latinovictory.us
Dawn Le | dle@americanbridge.org

Latino Victory Project and Bridge Project
Release Report
“¿Cómo se Dice ‘Koch Brothers Front Group’?
ANSWER: LIBRE Initiative”
New Report Reveals How The Kochs Mislead Latinos to Pad Their Bottom LineWashington, DC – Today, Latino Victory Project and Bridge Project released the report “¿Cómo se Dice Koch Brothers Front Group? ANSWER:LIBRE Initiative.” The report gives an overview of the billionaires’ “Latino” organization, and their deceiving tactics to rally Latinos to advance the Koch brothers’ financial interests–at the expense of Latino families and communities.

“We know the Koch brothers are no friends of the Latino community. Our families won’t be fooled by LIBRE Initiative’s tactics,” said Pili Tobar, Communications Director of Latino Victory Project. “They’re giving away free turkeys and offering English classes–and that’s nice–but it’s not going to convince any Latino voters to change their votes for politicians who want to line the […]

Kochs’ LIBRE Initiative Backs Regressive Flat Tax That Helps Kochs But Hurts Working Latinos

February 22, 2016

Daniel Garza, executive director of the the LIBRE Initiative — Charles and David Koch’s Latino-outreach front-group that works against the interests of Hispanic families — has appeared to endorse a flat tax, a highly regressive proposal that’s good for the Kochs but hurts the families that LIBRE claims to represent.

In a post on Medium, Garza argues, “Hispanics will never be able to lift themselves out of poverty or achieve prosperity if we’re forced to pay higher taxes every time our incomes grow.”

That sounds nice, but what Garza’s left unsaid there is that he similarly doesn’t think billionaires like the Koch brothers should be “forced to pay higher taxes” every time they make a few more millions — because, he claims, it “will be of no help to our community.”

Garza’s argument is — at best — questionable logic, because a flat tax is enormously regressive, conferring massive benefits on the wealthy few at the […]

LIBRE Says Latinos Better Off Economically, Pushes Policies That Would Reverse Progress

December 11, 2015

Despite the Kochs’ regular criticism of the Obama economy, a policy analyst for the LIBRE Initiative reported that Hispanics are doing significantly better economically today than they have in the past.

According to a blog on the LIBRE site by Payton Alexander,

These days, a Thanksgiving dinner for 10 costs just over 4 hours of work for the median Hispanic earner, which is 22% less than it did 28 years ago. This is good news, and represents a significant decrease in the amount of time that has to be spent at the office or on the job – and more time with friends and family for the holidays — for Hispanic workers across America
…
While the median worker out of the total population only has to work 3 hours and 45 minutes for the same meal, that gap has been narrowing since 2011, and that is a positive sign.

The counter-intuitive move by the […]

“Non-Partisan” LIBRE’s Unabashed Partisanship Does The GOP No Favors

November 30, 2015

The LIBRE Initiative, Charles and David Koch’s Latino outreach front group that works against the interests of the Hispanic community, is back in the spotlight. A number of news outlets —the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel — have in the last week published stories exposing the organization, which claims to be politically neutral, for the partisan sham that it is.

Among other purposes, the Kochs — whose interest-group-funding organization, Freedom Partners, has “donated $6.5 million in 2014, $2.9 million in 2013 and $3.3 million in 2012 to Libre” — use LIBRE to build out their vast repository of voter file data, which they then contract out to candidates and the RNC through i360, their proprietary data firm. National Review last month got into LIBRE’s methods, which include using offerings […]

Jeb To Campaign With Koch Front Group LIBRE Initiative, Bets On Kochs’ Rigged System

October 21, 2015

Barely surviving in the polls, Jeb Bush is still hoping the GOP’s favorite billionaire brothers will throw him a bone and help him win the nomination. Tonight, Jeb will join the Kochs’ Latino front group, the LIBRE Initiative, for a public policy forum in Nevada.

Former Governor Bush has been a Koch loyalist from the start of his campaign — pushing their top policy positions on the Export-Import Bank, the oil export ban, and more. But no Koch organization fits Bush quite as well as LIBRE.

Jeb came into the race claiming he would be able to win over Hispanics because of his family ties and values, but he quickly took a hard right turn and has been pushing extreme right-wing immigration policies ever since. Just like Bush, LIBRE claims they are advocating for the best interests of the Latino community. However, the group is focused on taking advantage of the […]

Marco Rubio, LIBRE Team Up To Push The Koch Agenda

October 13, 2015

Today, Marco Rubio will participate in a town hall in Boulder City, Nevada organized by the Kochs’ so-called Latino outreach group, the LIBRE Initiative. LIBRE claims to advocate for policies that help Latinos, but in reality the group pushes for policies that help Charles and David Kochs’ bottom line.

In participating in LIBRE’s town hall, Marco Rubio is showing yet again that there’s only one thing he’s interested in — a piece of the $900 million the Kochs have said they’ll spend in this election. On issue after issue, Rubio’s been a strong supporter of the Koch agenda — opposing the Ex-Im Bank, fighting against net neutrality, blocking a raise to the minimum wage, opposing bankruptcy protections for Puerto Rico, and supporting tax cuts for rich special interests like the Kochs. Just this week, a new report revealed that Rubio could be the new “front-runner” for the billionaire brothers.

But by aligning himself with LIBRE, Marco Rubio is signaling that if […]

LIBRE Embraces Romney Call To Raise Taxes on Latino Working Families

September 30, 2015

In the past, we’ve called the LIBRE Initiative a Koch-backed Latino-outreach propaganda machine with little regard for the actual interests of the Hispanic community.

It still is.

LIBRE’s lack of genuine concern and conviction was put on public display last week, when LIBRE’s executive director, Daniel Garza, jumped to defend Jeb Bush in the wake of his Mitt Romney-esque “we should not have a multicultural society” moment. Garza defended Bush’s call for assimilation, doubling-down on the notion that immigrants should “embrace American ideals and put them first,” as he put it. So much for the preservation and celebration of cultural heritage.

We saw more of the same from Garza in July, who refused to outright denounce Donald Trump and the GOP field’s offensive, anti-immigrant rhetoric, only daring to say, “It’s a distraction, a major distraction.”

Evidently defending Jeb’s offensive comments weren’t enough and when LIBRE spokeswoman Rachel Campos-Duffy appeared on The O’Reilly Factor, she echoed Mitt […]

Koch’s LIBRE Jumps To Defend Jeb, Jeb Creates “Free Stuff” Conundrum For The Kochs

September 25, 2015

With the Koch’s chosen candidate dropping out of the race earlier this week, the billionaire brothers are sure to be taking a new look at the Republican field and judging each of the remaining candidates by how willing they are to push the Kochs’ self-enriching agenda — could the Koch’s candidate be Jeb Bush?

But with Jeb! struggling, the brothers’ political network is being forced to scramble to save his campaign.

Earlier in the week Jeb took serious flak for “riding in the Trumpian slipstream” in arguing, “We should not have a multicultural society.” And in an effort to lend Jeb a helping hand, the head of the Kochs’ Latino outreach front group, LIBRE, defended that Jeb’s comments “were not a gaffe” in a TIME op-ed.

It’s not a surprise that LIBRE is first in line to defend Jeb — Jeb’s own staffer in charge of Hispanic outreach was […]

Rand Paul, LIBRE Team Up To Push The Koch Agenda In Las Vegas

September 17, 2015

This evening Senator Rand Paul will meet with the LIBRE Initiative at the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas. The LIBRE Initiative calls itself a “grassroots organization” that was created to “empower Hispanics” but it’s really a front group pushing the Koch brothers’ agenda.

Despite efforts to integrate into the Latino community, the Republican-operative run organization has a reputation for taking positions that will hurt Latinos and immigrants. Their executive director, Daniel Garza, has testified against President Obama’s protections against deportation. The front group also opposes raising the minimum wage and wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, stances which will disproportionately affect the very demographic they say they represent.

Paul’s meeting with the LIBRE Initiative might as well be another attempt to pander to Charles and David Koch. Read more about the LIBRE Initiative in Bridge Project’s report, “Kochs’ LIBRE Initiative Is Harmful To Hispanic Community.”

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 […]

LIBRE Director Admits Building Voter Lists For Republicans

June 24, 2015

LIBRE Executive Director Daniel Garza finally admitted what we’ve known all along: They aren’t working for Latinos’ interests but for Republicans’ and the Kochs’.

Washington Post reports that Garza “said Republicans cannot afford to have the Democrats win 71 percent of the Hispanic vote, as Obama did in 2012. ‘We intend to double down our efforts’ in this ‘constituency at a cross roads,’ Garza said. Republicans ‘don’t need to win a majority, just inch it up.’”

The Koch-backed initiative has done its best to frame itself as an advocacy organization for Latinos, but Garza’s comments make it clear: LIBRE is focused on winning political power for the GOP and thus, the group’s billionaire benefactors.

In May, Bridge Project took a deep dive into LIBRE’s political maneuvering to uncover their shady efforts to win Latino votes. Read the report here.

Koch-backed LIBRE Would Remove Deportation Protections for Millions

April 30, 2015

While the Koch-backed LIBRE Initiative would like you to believe that they are working to support the Hispanic community, the reality is that they mainly advocate for the issues of their benefactors: the Koch brothers. Freedom Partners, a group funded by the billionaires, has given LIBRE at least $10 million to push its agenda. LIBRE campaigns against policies that disproportionately help Hispanics including the Affordable Care Act, minimum wage increases, and immigration reform.

In March, Executive Director Daniel Garza testified against deportation protections for millions through DAPA, calling it “executive overreach” at a congressional hearing.

Of course, they conspicuously leave all that out during their community outreach.

Washington Post: Koch brothers cater to Latinos, hoping for votes

Cristóbal Alex, president of the Victory Fund, said LIBRE offers handouts and “talks about immigration in a positive way” but “is really doing work on behalf of the Koch brothers who put huge money behind candidates against […]

Panicked Puppet Protection: Kochs’ Concerned Veterans Endorse Heck

October 13, 2016

This morning the Koch network took another extraordinary step on behalf of Joe Heck. Concerned Veterans for America, soon to consolidate under the Americans for Prosperity banner, directly endorsed Joe Heck. In a panic to protect Heck, the Kochs are moving from issue-based advocacy to directly supporting their hand-selected minions.

Heck’s campaign has already received an unprecedented level of support from the Koch brothers’ political machine, including over $7 million in negative advertising from Freedom Partners Action Fund and the first instance of the Kochs’ LIBRE Initiative “explicitly backing” a candidate.

American Bridge Vice President Eddie Vale issued the following statement on CVA’s endorsement of Joe Heck:

“This isn’t about veterans issues. The Kochs are nervous that they stand to lose a loyal puppet who’ll promote not just VA privatization but also the rest of the Kochs’ self-serving, anti-working families agenda.

“That’s why the billionaire brothers have been spending […]

Joe Heck’s Big Oil Koch Cash

October 11, 2016

Joe Heck’s Senate campaign has received an unprecedented level of support from the Koch brothers’ political machine, including over $7 million in negative advertising from Freedom Partners Action Fund and the first instance of the Kochs’ LIBRE Initiative “explicitly backing” a candidate. In return, Heck has been a loyal puppet, consistently supporting the Kochs’ interests at the expense of environmental protections and the development of clean energy jobs in Nevada. While preaching steadfast opposition to “crony capitalism,” the Kochs have an interest in preserving tax breaks for big oil, an interest unsurprisingly protected by Heck.

Joe Heck, fearing backlash from his wealthy patrons, has taken every available opportunity to undermine clean energy in Nevada–arguing that the government should “get out of the business” of investing in renewables–while protecting government subsidies for fossil fuels. There’s no question that Heck would continue his fight against renewable energy in the United States Senate.

Background:

Koch Spending […]

The Koch Network Heaps Praise On Their Puppet Mike Pence’s Debate Performance

October 6, 2016

Mike Pence made sure to show off the Trump ticket’s extreme positions at last night’s vice presidential debate and it received high praise from leaders of the Kochs’ astro-turf front groups. AFP President Tom Phillips said that Pence, a long time Koch favorite, was a “spokesman for his values.” LIBRE’s operations coordinator Gabe Villanueva even said he wished that it were Pence who had run for president instead of Donald Trump.

The Kochs’ work to end the social safety net aligned well with Pence’s performance at the debate. AFP Missouri’s deputy director agreed with the Trump/Pence ticket calling Social Security a “Ponzi scheme.” Extending GenOpp’s campaign to end social security, the group’s Florida field director also chimed in to call the Ponzi scheme claim a “Trump #truth.”

Pence also hit home runs in the Koch network with Trump’s extreme views on equal pay and reproductive rights. […]

Koch VA Privatization Group Spends Big For Their Nevada Puppet

September 28, 2016

The Koch brothers just launched a six-figure digital ad buy in part on behalf of their favorite Nevada puppet, Rep. Joe Heck. An overwhelming majority of veterans are opposed to having their healthcare system privatized but that hasn’t stopped the Koch brothers and their sham front group Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) from trying to cut and privatize the VA.

Heck is getting Koch money because the brothers know that he’ll champion their anti-seniors and working families, pro-Big Oil agenda in the Senate.

Two weeks ago, the Kochs announced that Concerned Veterans for America, Generation Opportunity, and LIBRE Initiative, will each be consolidated under the Kochs’ flagship Americans for Prosperity group. That tells you all you need to know about the Kochs’ latest CVA intervention for Heck.

American Bridge Vice President Eddie Vale issued the following statement on the Kochs’ latest intervention for their favorite Nevadan puppet:

“This isn’t about veterans issues; the […]

Koch VA Privatization Group Spends Big For Their Florida Puppet

September 28, 2016

The Koch brothers just launched a six-figure digital ad buy in part on behalf of their favorite Florida puppet, Senator Marco Rubio. An overwhelming majority of veterans are opposed to having their healthcare system privatized but that hasn’t stopped the Koch brothers and their sham front group Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) from trying to cut and privatize the VA.

Rubio is getting Koch money because the brothers know that he’ll champion their anti-seniors and working families, pro-Big Oil agenda in the Senate.

Two weeks ago, the Kochs announced that Concerned Veterans for America, Generation Opportunity, and LIBRE Initiative, will each be consolidated under the Kochs’ flagship Americans for Prosperity group. That tells you all you need to know about the Kochs’ latest CVA intervention for Rubio.

American Bridge Vice President Eddie Vale issued the following statement on the Kochs’ latest intervention for their favorite Floridian puppet:

“This isn’t about veterans issues; the […]

Koch VA Privatization Group Spends Big For Their Pennsylvania Puppet

September 28, 2016

The Koch brothers just launched a six-figure digital ad buy in part on behalf of their favorite Pennsylvania puppet, Senator Pat Toomey. An overwhelming majority of veterans are opposed to having their healthcare system privatized but that hasn’t stopped the Koch brothers and their sham front group Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) from trying to cut and privatize the VA.

Toomey is getting Koch money because the brothers know that he’ll champion their anti-seniors and working families, pro-Big Oil agenda in the Senate.

Two weeks ago, the Kochs announced that Concerned Veterans for America, Generation Opportunity, and LIBRE Initiative, will each be consolidated under the Kochs’ flagship Americans for Prosperity group. That tells you all you need to know about the Kochs’ latest CVA intervention for Toomey.

American Bridge Vice President Eddie Vale issued the following statement on the Kochs’ latest intervention for their favorite Pennsylvanian puppet:

“This isn’t about veterans issues; the Kochs […]

Kochs Admit Front Groups Are Politically-Purposed Shams

September 19, 2016

Last week, the Kochs effectively admitted what we’ve argued for years: their supposedly non-partisan “constituency groups” are in reality fronts for promoting the brothers’ selfish agenda and buying off their puppet politicians.
By announcing the consolidation of the groups under the Americans for Prosperity banner, the Kochs are conceding that the LIBRE Initiative, Concerned Veterans for America, and Generation Opportunity, have always been partisan shams, despite the organizations’ persistent claims to the contrary.

The reshuffling won’t take place until after the election. In the meantime, the Kochs are using their “non-partisan” groups to funnel millions to their favorite puppets — most recently, in Florida on behalf of Marco Rubio. But it isn’t just Florida; Americans for Prosperity and Koch front groups are ramping up their ground game investments to boost Donald Trump and down-ballot Republicans across the country, from Pennsylvania to Nevada.

American Bridge 21st Century Vice President Eddie Value issued […]

Kochs Ground Game Push Shows They Aren’t Slowing Their 2016 Spending

September 16, 2016

The Koch brothers aren’t slowing down thier efforts to get out the Republican vote — even if that means helping elect Donald Trump. Earlier this week, the Koch political machine tried to make it seem like they are slowing down their election spending, a laughable claim.

The truth is that the Kochs haven’t stopped spending because of Trump at all — they’re even making up for his campaign’s deficits. In August, the Kochs had already poured millions into protectingvulnerable GOP senators and candidates in Florida, Indiana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin to name a few. Now, they’re ramping up their ground game, “spending $250 million” this year and focusing on “get-out-the-vote efforts targeting 5 million” voters.

The Kochs can claim that they don’t like Trump, but as long as they’re spending millions to elect Republicans and making up for his disastrous ground-game, they are key players in the Party of Trump. […]

Koch Network Pours Money Into Florida To Save Golden Boy Marco Rubio

September 7, 2016

Marco Rubio is the Koch network’s golden boy – the lackadaisical Florida Senator and failed presidential candidate was a top choice in the crowded Republican presidential primary, and some even resorted to public begging to convince him to run for reelection in Florida.

And now, just weeks before voters head to the polls, the Koch network is pouring huge amounts of money into Florida to save Rubio. This week alone, two Koch groups – the LIBRE Initiative and Americans For Prosperity – have launched ads for Rubio. In their first buy of the cycle, LIBRE is spending $700,000 on behalf of Rubio. Americans For Prosperity also launched a digital ad attacking Rubio’s opponent.

All in all, the Koch network has pledged to spend a whopping seven figures on behalf of Rubio to boost his reelection bid. After all, Rubio has bragged about his 100% lifetime rating for serving Koch interests, but he