On Each Bill Cited, Donnelly Voted With Large Bipartisan Majority

Each of the bills cited by the Club for Growth were appropriations bill amendments seeking to prohibit funding for specific projects, and each failed with large bipartisan majorities voting against them.

Prohibiting Heritage Route Funding Failed 343-86. According to the Congressional Record, Roll Call No. 569 was the “Flake amendment that sought to prohibit funds from being used for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Heritage Preservation Commission in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania; the Westsylvania Heritage Corporation in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania; and the Progress Fund in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.” The vote failed 343-86, with a majority of both Republicans and Democrats voting against the measure. [Congressional Record Daily Digest via GPO.gov, 6/27/07; Flake of Arizona Amendment No. 5 to H.R. 2643, Vote #569, 6/27/07]

Prohibiting San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Funding Failed 317-102. According to the Congressional Record, Roll Call No. 592 was the “Flake amendment (No. 21 printed in the Congressional Record of June 26, 2007) that sought to prohibit funds from being used for the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, SPUR Urban Center.” The vote failed 317-102. [Congressional Record Daily Digest via GPO.gov, 6/28/07; Flake of Arizona Amendment No. 21 to H.R. 2829, Vote #592, 6/28/07]

Prohibiting Prisons Museum Funding Failed 317-112. According to the Congressional Record, Roll Call No. 670 was the “Flake amendment (No. 12 printed in the Congressional Record of July 17, 2007) that sought to prohibit funds from being used for the Kansas Regional Prisons Museum, Lansing, Kansas, for educational and outreach programs.” The vote failed 317-112. [Congressional Record Daily Digest via GPO.gov, 7/18/07; Flake of Arizona Amendment No. 12 to H.R. 3043, Vote #670, 7/18/07]

Prohibiting Exploratorium Funding Failed 341-89. According to the Congressional Record, Roll Call No. 664 was the “Flake amendment (No. 19 printed in the Congressional Record of July 17, 2007) that sought to prohibit funds from being used for the Exploratorium, San Francisco, California, for its Bay Area Science Teacher Recruitment, Retention, and Improvement Initiative.” The vote failed 341-89, with a majority of both Republicans and Democrats voting against the measure. [Congressional Record Daily Digest via GPO.gov, 7/18/07; Flake of Arizona Amendment No. 19 to H.R. 3043, Vote #664, 7/18/07]

Reducing School Improvement Funding Failed 352-74. According to the Congressional Record, Roll Call No. 654 was then “Garrett (NJ) amendment that sought to reduce funding for School Improvement Programs by $33,907,000.” The vote failed 352-74, with a majority of both Republicans and Democrats voting against the measure. [Congressional Record Daily Digest via GPO.gov, 7/18/07; Garrett of New Jersey Amendment to H.R. 3043, Vote #654, 7/18/07]

• Garrett Amendment Would Have Struck Funding For Education For Alaskan And Hawaiian Natives. From Politico: “[Rep. Don] Young took extreme exception to an amendment by Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.) to strike money in a spending bill for native Alaskan and Hawaiian educational programs.” [Politico, 7/18/07]

Prohibiting Aquarium Funding Failed 360-70. According to the Congressional Record, Roll Call No. 669 was the “Flake amendment (No. 10 printed in the Congressional Record of July 17, 2007) that sought to prohibit funds from being used for the South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, South Carolina, for exhibits and curriculum.” The vote failed 360-70, with a majority of both Republicans and Democrats voting against the measure. [Congressional Record Daily Digest via GPO.gov, 7/18/07; Flake of Arizona Amendment No. 10 to H.R. 3043, Vote #669, 7/18/07]

Prohibiting Funding For Public Service Center At New York College Failed 316-108. According to the Congressional Record, Roll Call No. 678 was the “Campbell (CA) amendment (No. 62 printed in the Congressional Record of July 17, 2007) that sought to prohibit funds from being used for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service, City College of New York, NY.” The vote failed 316-108, with a majority of both Republicans and Democrats voting against the measure. [Congressional Record Daily Digest via GPO.gov, 7/19/07; Campbell of California Amendment No. 62 to H.R. 3043, Vote #678, 7/19/07]

Prohibiting Ballet Theater Funding Failed 327-96. According to the Congressional Record, Roll Call No. 679 was the “Flake amendment (No. 16 printed in the Congressional Record of July 17, 2007) that sought to prohibit funds from being used for the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, for exhibits, education programs, and an archival project.” The vote failed 327-96, with a majority of both Republicans and Democrats voting against the measure. [Congressional Record Daily Digest via GPO.gov, 7/19/07; Flake of Arizona Amendment No. 16 to H.R. 3043, Vote #679, 7/19/07]

Prohibiting Parking Facility Funding Failed 338-86. According to the Congressional Record, Roll Call No. 706 was the “Hensarling amendment (No. 21 printed in the Congressional Record of July 23, 2007) that sought to prohibit funds from being used for parking facilities.” The vote failed 338-86, with a majority of both Republicans and Democrats voting against the measure. [Congressional Record Daily Digest via GPO.gov, 7/24/07; Hensarling of Texas Amendment No. 21 to H.R. 3074, Vote #706, 7/24/07]

Prohibiting “Lobster Institute” Funding Failed 328-87. According to the Congressional Record, Roll Call No. 735 was a “Flake amendment that sought to prohibit funds from being used for the Lobster Institute at the University of Maine in Orono, Maine.” The vote failed 328-87, with a majority of both Republicans and Democrats voting against the measure. [Congressional Record Daily Digest via GPO.gov, accessed 7/26/07; Flake of Arizona Amendment  to H.R. 3093, Vote #735, 7/26/07]

Prohibiting Grape Genetics Research Funding Failed 353-76. According to the Congressional Record, Roll Call No. 810 was the “Flake amendment (No. 9 printed in Part B of House Report 110–290) that sought to prohibit funds from being used for grape genetics research in Geneva, New York.” The vote failed 353-76, with a majority of both Republicans and Democrats voting against the measure. [Congressional Record Daily Digest via GPO.gov, 8/2/07; Flake of Arizona Amendment No. 9 to H.R. 3161, Vote #810, 8/2/07]

Bush Policies And Recession – Not Earmarks – Are Responsible For Higher Debt

Earmarks Account For Little Of Congress’ Spending. From the Washington Post: “The moves will have little effect on reducing spending — earmarks account for less than $16 billion of the more than $1 trillion a year Congress spends.” [Washington Post, 3/10/10]

Prior To President Obama’s Inauguration, President Bush Had Already Created A Projected $1.2 Trillion Deficit For Fiscal Year 2009. From the Washington Times:  “The Congressional Budget Office announced a projected fiscal 2009 deficit of $1.2 trillion even if Congress doesn’t enact any new programs. […] About the only person who was silent on the deficit projection was Mr. Bush, who took office facing a surplus but who saw spending balloon and the country notch the highest deficits on record.” [Washington Times, 1/8/09]

NYT: President Bush’s Policy Changes Created Much More Debt Than President Obama’s. The New York Times published the following chart comparing the fiscal impact of policies enacted under the Bush and Obama administrations:

[New York Times, 7/24/11]

Recession Added Hundreds Of Billions In Deficits By Increasing Spending On Safety Net While Shrinking Tax Revenue. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) explains: “When unemployment rises and incomes stagnate in a recession, the federal budget responds automatically: tax collections shrink, and spending goes up for programs like unemployment insurance, Social Security, and Food Stamps.” According to CBPP: “The recession battered the budget, driving down tax revenues and swelling outlays for unemployment insurance, food stamps, and other safety-net programs. Using CBO’s August 2008 projections as a benchmark, we calculate that the changed economic outlook alone accounts for over $400 billion of the deficit each year in 2009 through 2011 and slightly smaller amounts in subsequent years. Those effects persist; even in 2018, the deterioration in the economy since the summer of 2008 will account for over $300 billion in added deficits, much of it in the form of additional debt-service costs.” [CBPP.org, 11/18/10; CBPP.org, 5/10/11, citations removed]

Over The Coming Decade, The Bush Tax Cuts Are The Primary Cause Of Federal Budget Deficits. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities prepared a chart showing the deficit impact of the Bush tax cuts (orange), the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the recession itself, and spending to rescue the economy:

[CBPP.org, 5/10/11]

CBPP: Bush Tax Cuts And Wars Are Driving The Debt. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

The complementary chart, below, shows that the Bush-era tax cuts and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars — including their associated interest costs — account for almost half of the projected public debt in 2019 (measured as a share of the economy) if we continue current policies.

[Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 5/20/11]

Donnelly Voted For A Balanced Budget Amendment

Donnelly Voted In Favor Of A Balanced Budget Amendment To The Constitution. [H.J. Res. 2, Vote #858, 11/18/11]