The Koch brothers have been in the news a whole lot lately, but it’s all by design.

A massive public relations campaign over the last several weeks, tied to their retreat where Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Scott Walker, Ted Cruz, and Carly Fiorina auditioned for the $900 million the Kochs are spending this election, has yielded glowing profile after glowing profile. Some even tell a sob story of Koch demonization, suggesting that us humble, non-billionaires, with just our singular votes to make our electoral voices heard, should feel sorry for them.

Despite their protests and claims to the contrary, the Kochs’ “philanthropic” efforts and political contributions have always been about control — have always been about using their money and influence to manipulate and advance their own personal welfare. David Koch even admits it, telling the New Yorker:

“If we’re going to give a lot of money, we’ll make darn sure they spend it in a way that goes along with our intent, […] And if they make a wrong turn and start doing things we don’t agree with, we withdraw funding.”

The Kochs have long sought to operate and manipulate from the shadows, but as the negativity surrounding their name recognition spikes and voters recognize them as out-of-touch billionaires, they’re now aggressively employing a sham PR strategy designed to emphasize their “positive” actions, in order to obfuscate their true motivations and continuing record of hypocrisy and wrongdoing.

And this isn’t just a spur of the moment PR play — it’s long been in development. Case in point: In 2014, Koch Industries hired a seasoned public relations expert, Steve Lombardo, who, according to The Intercept, “helped the tobacco industry reshape its image.” Lombardo’s been surprisingly candid about the PR motivations behind the Kochs’ self-proclaimed interest in criminal justice reform: “Emphasizing criminal justice reform is a key part of the strategy to deflate the negative narrative around the Kochs, Lombardo said,” according to Yahoo News.

From the Kochs’ sham support for criminal justice reform, to their war on voting rights, to their conditional UNCF donations that allowed them to shape the program’s curriculum; from their sponsorship of a climate change-denial campaign, to their hypocritical position on subsidies and attacks on solar power — no matter what they say and do, it is safe to say there is some self-interested, profit-driven motivation for their action. And candidates begging for money are expected to toe the line.

The Koch’s latest campaign is a PR campaign — nothing more.

LOWLIGHTS FROM THE KOCHS’ HISTORY OF HURTING AMERICA & FINANCING DIRTY POLITICS

LOWLIGHTS FROM KOCH INDUSTRIES’ HARM TO THE ENVIRONMENT, AMERICAN JOBS, AND HUMAN LIFE

Environmental Harm By The Kochs

EPA Press Release Headline: “Koch Petroleum Group Sentenced For Minnesota Pollution.” [EPA, 3/9/00]

• Koch Paid $8 Million To The Dakota County Park System After Violating The Clean Water Act. According to an EPA Press Release, “Koch Petroleum Group (Koch), which operates a refinery in Rosemount, Minn., was sentenced on March 1to pay a $6 million criminal fine and pay an additional $2 million in remediation costs to the Dakota County Park System in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis. This is the largest federal environmental fine ever paid in Minnesota. The defendant was also ordered to serve three years probation. Koch previously pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Water Act (CWA). Koch admitted that it negligently discharged aviation fuel into a wetland and an adjoining waterway. Even though Koch was aware of the problem, it did not develop a comprehensive plan to recover between 200,000 – 600,000 gallons of released fuel until June 1997. In addition, the establishment of the system to recover the fuel destroyed a portion of the surrounding ecosystem and wildlife habitat. In a separate offense, Koch dumped a million gallons of wastewater with high ammonia content on the ground between November 1996 and March 1997 and also increased its flow of wastewater into the Mississippi River on weekends when Koch did not monitor its discharges. These actions allowed Koch to circumvent the weekly monitoring and reporting requirements of its wastewater discharge permit. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the FBI and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and was prosecuted by the U. S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota.” [EPA Press Release, 3/9/00] 

EPA Press Release Headline: “Koch Nitrogen Company to Pay $380,000 Civil Penalty for Clean Air Act Violations at Facilities in Iowa and Kansas.” [EPA Press Release, 2/13/13]

• Koch Nitrogen Agreed To A $380,000 Settlement With The EPA After Federal Regulators Found That, In 2007 And 2009, Its Facilities In Fort Dodge, Marshalltown And Kansas Violated Risk Management Program Requirements Under The Clean Air Act.According to Wichita Eagle, “A Koch Nitrogen Company, a subsidiary of Wichita-based Koch Industries, has agreed to pay a $380,000 civil penalty to settle alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at facilities in Iowa and Dodge City. According to a news release from the Environmental Protection Agency, federal inspections of three of Koch’s facilities in 2007 and 2009 revealed violations of the risk management program required by the Clean Air Act.” [Wichita Eagle, 2/14/13]

EPA Press Release Headline: “Koch Industries To Pay Record Fine For Oil Spills In Six States.” [EPA Press Release, 1/13/00] 

• Koch Industries Paid A $30 Million Civil Penalty And Made $5 Million In Facility Improvements For Environmental Compliance.According to an EPA press release, “Koch Industries Inc., will pay the largest civil fine ever imposed on a company under any federal environmental law to resolve claims related to more than 300 oil spills from its pipelines and oil facilities in six states, the Justice Department and the U.S. EPA announced. A settlement filed today requires Koch, the second-largest privately held company in the United States, to pay a $30 million civil penalty, improve its leak-prevention programs and spend $5 million on environmental projects.” [EPA Press Release, 1/13/00]

Flint Hills Resources Paid $350,000 To Settle Charges That It And Other Companies Contaminated The State’s Groundwater. According to the New Hampshire Business Review, “The decade-old lawsuit was filed by the administration of then-Gov. Craig Benson against 15 oil companies for contaminating the state’s groundwater. All of the cases — save the one against ExxonMobil — have been settled. […]Flint Hill Resources and Giant Oil broke the ice, paying $350,000 each, followed by the first larger settlement – with BP Products – for $2.4 million in January 2011. Five other others followed during the summer of 2011, with settlements totaling about $6 million, half of that coming from Hess Corp. None of that money has any restrictions on it.” [New Hampshire Business Review, 3/22/13]

• The Flint Hills Resources Settlement Was Part Of A $136 Million Lawsuit.According to the New Hampshire Business Review, “New Hampshire has won $136.5 million as a result of a massive lawsuit it filed a decade ago over the gasoline additive MTBE, and it may win more, pending a case currently being heard in Merrimack County Superior Court against ExxonMobil. While not all of the settlement money is in the state’s hands just yet, it appears that it is sitting in a bank account, shrouded in secrecy.” [New Hampshire Business Review, 3/22/13]

Iowa: Iowa Regulators Found That Benzene, Ethylbenzene, TEH As Diesel In Groundwater At Flint Hills Resources’ Dubuque Plant Were All Above Statewide Standards. According to a letter from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to Flint Hills Resources regarding the Koch Pavement Solutions plant in Dubuque, “Thank you for the submittal of the Annual Groundwater Monitoring Report dated May 29, 2013. […] Contaminant concentrations remaining above statewide standards during the most recent sampling event include: benzene in monitoring wells MW-01, MW-02, MW-03, and MW-12 at concentrations ranging from 12.1 ug/L to 1,180 ug/L; ethylbenzene in MW-02 at 2,010 ug/L; TEH as diesel in MW-01, MW-02, MW-03, and MW-12 at concentrations ranging from 1,760 ug/I to 217,000 ug/L; and TEH as motor oil in MW01, MW-02, MW-03, MW-06, MW-11, and MW-12 at concentrations ranging from 502 ug/L to 15,400 ug/L. The statewide standards for benzene, ethylbenzene, and TEH as diesel are 5 ug/L, 700 ug/L, 1,200 ug/L, and 400 ug/L respectively. All other contaminant concentrations onsite remain below the statewide standards.” [Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 8/21/13]

Koch Industries Was Ordered To Pay Part Of A $35 Million Federal Settlement To Louisiana For Multiple Oil Spills In State Waters. According to the Associated Press, “Spills in Louisiana are almost a footnote in Koch Industries’ landmark $35 million federal settlement. Out of 310 spills and 3 million gallons of crude oil from 1990 to 1997, three leaks spilled a total of about 2,560 gallons in Louisiana, company spokesman Philip Ellender said Thursday. […] The biggest spill in Louisiana was about 50 barrels (2,100 gallons) in the Bayou Blue Oil Field near the Superior Canal in Iberville Parish. About 70 barrels of mixed oil and water werecollected after that spill on May 1, 1993. The smallest was on Sept. 20, 1990, when about one 42-gallon barrel spilled into the Mississippi River in St. James Parish. About half was recovered. On Nov. 16, 1994, about 420 gallons spilled in Claiborne Parish four miles east of Haynesville. All but about 25 gallons was recovered.” [Associated Press via Lexis Nexis, 1/13/00]

Georgia-Pacific Agreed To A Settlement On Fox River Contamination, Agreeing That It Is Liable For Cleanup Work; Under The Proposed Settlement, The Company Would Pay $7 Million To Reimburse A Portion Of The Government’s Unpaid Past And Future Costs.According to the Milwaukee Business Journal, “The state of Wisconsin and the federal government are filing a major Superfund lawsuit against paper companies in the Fox Valley and Green Bay to force continued cleanup of contaminants in the Lower Fox River and Green Bay as well as other damages. […] The agency said one of the newly named defendants, Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP, has already agreed to a settlement, agreeing that it is liable, along with other defendants, for cleanup work downstream from a line across the Fox River slightly upstream of its paper mill in the city of Green Bay. Under the proposed settlement filed with the court, the company also would pay $7 million to reimburse a portion of the government’s unpaid past and future costs. The proposed settlement is subject to a 30-day public comment period.” [Milwaukee Business Journal, 10/14/10]

• Scientists Estimated That It Would Take Fish Up To 40 Years To Recover From The PCB Pollution In The Fox River If The Cleanup Went According To Plan.According to Green Bay Press-Gazette, “Biologists think it might take up to 40 years for fish populations to fully recover from PCB pollution in the river — if a $400 million cleanup moves ahead without a hitch.” [Green Bay Press-Gazette, 4/2/06] 

Kochs Have Endangered Workers, Even Resulting In Death

2007: Georgia-Pacific Was Sued By An Employee Who Was Not Provided With “Immediate Medical Care” After Reporting A Lower Back Accident To His Supervisor.According to Mastalsz v. Georgia-Pacific Corp in the Florida Worker’s Compensation Law Bulletin, “On Nov. 10, 2005, the claimant reported a lower back accident to his supervisor. […] The employer only completed a first aid report, did not report the incident to its carrier, and did not provide immediate medical care. The claimant eventually received care and had a discectomy.” [Florida Worker’s Compensation Law Bulletin via LexisNexis, 9/26/07]

Bunn Fertiliser Was Cited By British Authorities After An Employee Was Crushed To Death By His Own Vehicle. According to the Eastern Daily Press, “An agricultural worker was crushed to death by the wheel of his vehicle when he made a fatal misjudgment while carrying out repairs. Kevin Alderton squeezed between the wheel and chassis of his fertiliser-spreading tractor to adjust a screw, but had not switched the engine off. […] An inquest jury this week returned a conclusion of accidental death but a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation is still ongoing into Bunn Fertiliser, after it was served with an improvement notice for failing to ensure the safety of employees involved with the machinery.” [Eastern Daily Press, 2/25/14]

Georgia Pacific Paid A “Significant” Settlement To A Paper Mill Worker Severely Burned By A Boiler Explosion. According to the National Trial Lawyers, “After four weeks of trial, a paper mill maintenance worker who was severely burned in an industrial boiler explosion obtained a significant confidential settlement. The explosion occurred in June 2006 at Georgia-Pacific’s paper mill in Cedar Springs, Georgia.” [The National Trial Lawyers, 4/7/15]

Koch Network Outsourcing AND LAYING OFF OF American Jobs

Outsourcing Lowlights

In June 2013, Georgia-Pacific Announced It Would Lay Off Up To 100 Employees At Its Halsey, Oregon Plant. According to the Albany Democrat-Herald, “Georgia Pacific has announced that it will cut up to 100 jobs over a three-year period as part of a plan to introduce equipment changes to its plant in Halsey. According to Kelly Ferguson, director of communications for Georgia Pacific, the company will likely begin reductions sometime this year. ‘We have been in talks with union members and direct employees over the last month about this,’ Ferguson said. ‘Reductions are expected to affect the overall hourly and salaried employees. There is no exact number but it is approximately 100.’” [Albany Democrat-Herald,6/14/13]

• The Department Of Labor Investigation Determined That The Employees Lost Their Jobs Because Georgia-Pacific “Shifted To A Foreign Country A Portion Of The Production Of Articles Like Or Directly Competitive With The Toilet Tissue And Paper Towels Produced By The Subject Worker Group.”According to the Certification Regarding Eligibility To Apply for Worker Adjustment Assistance, “Section 222(a)(2)(B) has been met because the workers’ firm has shifted to a foreign country a portion of the production of articles like or directly competitive with the toilet tissue and paper towels produced by the subject worker group, which contributed importantly to worker group separations at Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products, LP, a subsidiary of Georgia-Pacific LLC, Halsey, Oregon.” [U.S. Department of Labor, TAA Decision 83045, Filed 11/8/13]

July 2010: Georgia Pacific Announced Plants to Shut Down Plant In Mount Hope. Employees of Georgia-Pacific in Mount Hope were issued a 60-day notice Monday, in accordance with the Worker Adjustment and Retaining Notification Act (WARN), that the plant will shut down for a curtailment of operations expected to last longer than six months. According to the WARN notice, all production will cease by Oct. 1. The plant’s closing will affect about 100 workers in the area.”  [Buckley Register-Herald, 7/28/10]

• A Department Of Labor Investigation Determined That The Employees Lost Their Jobs Because Georgia-Pacific “Has Acquired From A Foreign Country The Production Of Articles Like Or Directly Competitive With The Oriented Strand Board Produced By The Workers.”According to the Certification Regarding Eligibility To Apply for Worker Adjustment Assistance, “Criterion I has been met because a significant number or proportion of the workers have been totally or partially separated or threatened with separation. Criterion II has been satisfied because the workers’ firm has acquired from a foreign country the production of articles like or directly competitive with the oriented strand board produced by the workers. Criterion III has been met because the acquisition of production of oriented strand board from Canada by Georgia-Pacific LLC contributed importantly to worker group separations at the subject firm.” [U.S. Department of Labor, TAA Decision 74526, 9/22/10]

In 2009, Georgia Pacific Laid Off 80 Employees And Idled Its Grenada, Mississippi Plant.According to the Associated Press, “Georgia-Pacific Corp. has curtailed operations at a north Mississippi plant and laid off 80 people. G-P spokeswoman Melodie Ruse told The Associated Press on Tuesday the company hopes the plant in Grenada can reopen in less than six months.” [Associated Press, 11/17/09]

• A Department Of Labor Investigation Determined That The Employees Lost Their Jobs Because “The Workers’ Firm Has Shifted Production To A Foreign Country During The Relevant Period.”According to the Certification Regarding Eligibility To Apply for Worker Adjustment Assistance, “The investigation revealed that workers at Georgia-Pacific Wood Products, Grenada, Mississippi who are engaged in employment related to the production of oriented strand board meet the criteria for certification. Criterion I has been met because the workforce of GeorgiaPacific Wood Products, LLC, Grenada, Mississippi is experiencing significant layoffs. Criterion II has been satisfied because the workers’ firm has shifted production to a foreign country during the relevant period. Criterion III has been met because the shift in production of oriented strand board to foreign countries has contributed importantly to worker group separations at Georgia-Pacific Wood Products, Grenada, Mississippi.” [U.S. Department of Labor, TAA Decision 74585, 10/1/10]

Georgia Pacific Closed An Alpha Plastics Plant In Hamlet, North Carolina And Laid Off 32 Workers. According to the Richmond County Daily Journal, “A Hamlet plastics manufacturer announced Tuesday it will close its Hamlet plant sometime in November, leaving 32 employees without jobs. Alpha Plastics of Hamlet is a producer of polyethylene for consumer products packaging of textile and food products and industrial applications. […] [Spokesman Kelly] Ferguson said Alpha Plastics will work with its 32 employees during the transition. ‘We are communicating with each of our employees and will work to provide them as much information and assistance as possible during this process,’ he said Tuesday. Georgia-Pacific owns Alpha Plastics, and the company will keep some of the plant’s equipment running into November.” [Richmond County Daily Journal, 10/6/10]

• The Department Of Labor Stated of Georgia Pacific “The Subject Firm Has Increased Its Reliance On Increased Imports Of Like Or Directly Competitive Products.”According to the Department of Labor, “Section 222(a)(2)(A)(ii) has been met because imports of articles like or directly competitive with polyethylene film increased during the relevant period. Specifically, the subject firm has increased its reliance on increased imports of like or directly competitive products during the relevant period. Finally, Section 222(a)(2)(A)(iii) has been met because increased imports of polyethylene film contributed importantly to the worker separations and sales/production declines at GPAlpha Plastics, Hamlet, North Carolina.” [U.S. Department of Labor, TAA Decision 74941, 12/7/10]

August 1, 2007: Dixie Cutlery Filed Notice That It Was Closing Plant Effective September 29, 2007 Laying Off 260 Employees.  [California WARN Notice, Page 70, 8/1/2007]

• The Department Of Labor Determined That The Workers Lost Their Jobs Due To “A Shift In Production” To China “At the Subject Firm.”According to the Certification Regarding Eligibility To Apply for Worker Adjustment Assistance and Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance, “The decline in employment at the subject firm is related to a shift in a portion of the production of plastic cutlery (i.e. forks, spoons and knives), cups, and straws products to China. The imports of these articles will likely increase.” [U.S. Department of Labor, TAA Decision 62268, 10/23/07]

Lowlights of The Kochs’ Dishonest And Harmful Political Activity

Kochs Spent Hundreds Of Millions On Ads In 2012 And 2014

The Nation: Combined Koch Spending During The 2012 Election, Including “Super PAC Contributions And Dark Money,” Was $412,670,666. According to The Nation, “When Super PAC contributions and dark money are taken into account, David and Charles Koch spent over $412 million during the last election cycle. […] Koch spending during the 2012 election (PAC, individual, outside): $412,670,666.” [The Nation, 3/7/14] 

Koch Network Spent About $290 Million In The 2014 Midterms. According to Politico, “All told, the groups in the Koch network combined to spend about $290 million ahead of the midterms. [Politico, 1/19/15]

Koch Network Was Known For Running Attack Ads

The Koch Backed Freedom Partners Action Fund Invested $11 Million In Attack Ads Against Democrats In The 2014 Cycle. According to an article from CBS News, “Meanwhile, the Koch brothers-backed Freedom Partners Action Fund invested $11 million in ads against Democrats who eventually lost, and $6 million on ads boosting Republican candidates who won.” [CBS News, 11/6/14]

• Freedom Partners Ran “More Than $7 Million In Issue-Based Attack Ads Targeting Democratic Candidates” In 2014 Election. According to the Huffington Post, “Beyond its grant-giving activity, Freedom Partners stepped directly into the electoral arena in 2014 by running more than $7 million in issue-based attack ads targeting Democratic candidates.” [Huffington Post, 9/18/14]

Concerned Vets For America Received Over $5 Million From Freedom Partners In 2013 And Emerged As A Major Attack Advertiser. According to the Huffington Post, “Concerned Vets for America received $5,245,000 from Freedom Partners in 2013 and emerged in 2014 as a major advertiser, with attack ads hitting Democrats on the Obama administration’s handling of the scandal at Veterans Administration hospitals. The group has already spent at least $5.7 million on advertising targeting federal candidates.” [Huffington Post, 9/18/14]

Koch Ads Were Most Often Found False And Mostly False

In 13 Fact Checks, Americans For Prosperity Has Never Received Higher Than A Half True From The PolitiFact And Most Of Their Claims Have Registered As False Or Mostly False. According to an article from politifact.com, “In 13 fact checks, Americans for Prosperity has never received higher than a Half True from the PolitiFact national team. The majority of their claims have registered as False or Mostly False. (A state chapter of the group did receive a Mostly True for a claim about Georgia’s civil forfeiture laws.) More recently, we’ve noticed sharper attack ads from Americans for Prosperity that are more nuanced and difficult to fact-check, though still largely lacking in the accuracy department.” [PolitiFact, 4/10/14]

• PolitiFact In July 2014: Concerned Veterans For America Aired A “Mostly False” Ad Claiming That Sen. Bruce Braley Skipped “An Important VA Reform Hearing To Attend Three Fundraisers.”According to PolitiFact, “Attackers say U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, skipped an important Veterans Affairs Committee hearing to raise money for his campaign, but Braley says that’s not true. Braley ‘skipped an astonishing 79 percent of veterans affairs committee hearings. He even skipped an important VA reform hearing to attend three fundraisers,’ says the television ad from Concerned Veterans for America, an advocacy group with funding linked to the Koch brothers. […] The ad refers to a Sept. 20, 2012, meeting titled, “Reviewing VA’s Performance and Accountability.” According to the official record, Braley was not present. […]He had three fundraisers the same day, but none overlapped with the veterans affairs committee hearing. He was counted as present at an oversight hearing about Fast and Furious that happened at the same time. We rate this claim Mostly False.” [PolitiFact,7/30/14]

• PolitiFact In May 2012: AFP Aired A “Pants On Fire” Ad Claiming That Stimulus Tax Credits “Went Overseas,” Including $1.2 Billion To A “Solar Company” For A Plant In Mexico. The Company Did Not Receive Any Credits. According to PolitiFact, “A TV ad from Americans for Prosperity says billions of tax dollars spent on green energy went to jobs in foreign countries. It claims that stimulus bill tax credits went overseas, such as “$1.2 billion to a solar company that’s building a plant in Mexico.” […]Sure, taxpayer money was originally approved for a California solar company that also happened to open a plant in Mexico. But that loan — not tax credits, as the ad claims — will go to a New Jersey company for a solar project in California, employing construction workers in the state, using mostly California-built solar panels, to create solar power that’ll be purchased by a California utility. […] The ad strings together alarming-sounding tidbits about actual stimulus projects to create the impression of something else entirely — in a way that’s ultimately ridiculous. And that earns our lowest rating, Pants on Fire.” [PolitiFact, 5/2/12]

• PolitiFact In 2010: AFP Aired A “Pants On Fire” Ad Against Health Care Reform, Claiming That A Government Panel Recommend That “Women Shouldn’t Receive Mammograms Until Age 50.” According to PolitiFact, “A new TV ad from Americans for Prosperity, a group opposing the health reform bill, suggests that screening mammograms for women under 50 would be in jeopardy if the bill passes. […] ‘I was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 43,’ Walsh begins. ‘My mother died of cancer. But early detection saved my life. Now a government panel, that didn’t include cancer specialists, says women shouldn’t receive mammograms until age 50. That saves money, but could cost your life. If I had followed the new government guidelines on mammograms, my cancer would have spread undetected, and my chances of survival would have been reduced. If government takes over health care, recommendations like these could become the law for all kinds of diseases.’ […] First and foremost, the task force did not say women shouldn’t receive mammograms until age 50. Diana Petitti, former vice chair of the task force, said the report has been wildly misrepresented on this point. “The report says that when you hit 40, you should start having conversations with your physician about whether you want to have a mammogram,” she said. […]We rule this claim Pants on Fire!” [PolitiFact, 3/16/10]

• PolitiFact In May 2014: Americans For Prosperity Aired A “False” Ad Claiming That Health Care Premiums Were “Up 90 Percent” Because of Obamacare.According to PolitiFact, “A new ad by the free-market group Americans For Prosperity takes a swipe at Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., for her support of President Barack Obama’s health care law. The ad, released in April, proclaims, ‘Health care premiums up 90 percent in New Hampshire.’ […] The claim cited a Morgan Stanley report that based its New Hampshire numbers on data from just one insurance broker in the state. Experts say that’s far too small a sample to say anything definitive about what’s happening to premiums in the state. It’s possible for some individuals, given the wrong combination of income and health factors, could see premium increases of 90 percent. But that’s a far cry from saying that such increases are typical in the state. This statement is not accurate.We rate it False.” [PolitiFact, 5/1/14]

• PolitiFact In March 2014: AFP Aired A “False” Ad Claiming That “Millions Are Paying More And Getting Less” Under ObamaCare. PolitiFact Ruled That, “At Worst, They’re Paying More To Get More.”According to PolitiFact, “Americans for Prosperity said ‘millions are paying more and getting less’ under Obamacare. We found their explanation of ‘less’ rather dubious. Most people on the individual market are getting more benefits under the law. At worst, they’re paying more to get more, though in many cases they’re actually paying less. We rate this claim False.” [PolitiFact, 3/20/14]

• Freedom Partners Ran An Ad Against Sen. Jeff Merkley For Being An Ineffective Leader Because He “Wrote Only One Bill That Became Law” In Six Years And Links Him To Obamacare Premium Increases. According to FactCheck.org, “An ad from a Koch-backed group labels Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley an ineffective leader because he ‘wrote only one bill that became law’ in six years. […]The ad is part of a reported $3.6 million ad campaign from Freedom Partners in Oregon. […]The narrator in the Freedom Partners ad also attacks Merkley for his support of the Affordable Care Act, which it refers to as Obamacare. ‘He promised to fix Obamacare,’ the narrator says, ‘but last year, our premium increases were the highest on the West Coast. This year, they’re going even higher.’” [FactCheck.org, 8/21/14]

o   FactCheck.org On Attack For Writing One Bill Into Law In Six Years: “This Kind Of Claim Is An Attack Ad Staple, But It Betrays A Fundamental Misunderstanding Of The Ways Of Congress.” According to FactCheck.org, “This kind of claim is an attack ad staple, but it betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the ways of Congress. […]First-term senators, like Merkley, typically get their names on very few bills that stand a chance of becoming law, and even then, the bills usually are relatively minor. By the ad’s measuring stick, virtually every senator who came into office at the same time as Merkley has been a slacker. […]The claim also ignores proposed bills that Merkley sponsored that didn’t pass as stand-alone legislation but were incorporated into larger bills. And it overlooks a number of amendments that Merkley proposed that ended up being part of bills that ultimately passed.”  [FactCheck.org, 8/21/14]