63 results for 'koch brothers'

The James Madison Institute Has Very Deep Ties to the Koch Network

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Citizens for a Sound Economy And James Madison Institute Shared a Board Member In L. Charles Hilton

Citizens for a Sound Economy Board Member L. Charles Hilton Was Also A Board Member of James Madison Institute. [Citizens for a Sound Economy, 11/15/03]

Koch-Affiliated Entities Donated Over $1.4 Million Directly to James Madison Institute

The Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation Donated $108,479 To The James Madison Institute Between 2007 And 2012. According to tax documents from the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, the Koch Foundation made 6 contributions totaling $108,479 to the James Madison Institute from 2007 to 2012. [Koch Foundation Tax Documents, accessed 2/27/15]

DonorsTrust And Donors Capital Fund Donated $1,273,242 To The James Madison Institute Between 2005 And 2012. According to tax documents from DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund, the two organizations made 27 contributions totaling $1,273,242 from 2005 to 2012. [Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund Tax Documents, accessed 2/27/15]

The Cato Institute Donated $100,000 To The James Madison Institute In 2006. According to tax documents from the Cato Institute from 01/01/2006 to 03/31/2006, Cato awarded $100,000 to the James Madison Institute “to help fund like-minded 501(c)(3) orgs.” [Cato Institute Tax Documents, 3/31/06]

The James Madison Institute Is Listed As A Partner Organization For The Charles Koch Institute’s “Liberty@Work” Program. According to the Charles Koch Institute, the James Madison Institute is a Liberty@Work Partner Organization. [Charles Koch Institute, accessed 3/2/15]

The James Madison Institute Is A Member Of The State Policy Network. According to the State Policy Network’s Member Directory, the James Madison Institute is an SPN Member. [SPN.org, accessed 2/27/15]

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Jeb Bush’s Longstanding Ties to the Koch-Backed James Madison Institute

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Bush Served On Board of James Madison Institute From 1990-1993, Until His First Run for Governor

Gov. Jeb Bush Was A Member Of The JMI Board Of Directors From 1990-1993. According to JMI’s 2013 Annual Report, The Honorable Jeb Bush, Miami served on the JMI Board of Directors from 1990 to 1993. [JMI Annual Report, 4/12/13]

JMI Noted That 3 People Had Been Elected To Florida Leadership After Serving On JMI’s Board, Including Jeb Bush, Tom Feeney, And Don Gaetz. According to JMI’s 2013 Annual Report, “Jeb Bush, Tom Feeney, and Don Gaetz: From JMI’s Board to Leadership Roles[…] Principled leadership doesn’t happen by accident. It is a lifetime commitment. That can certainly be said of many of the leaders who have served on The James Madison Institute’s board of directors over the past twenty-five years.” [JMI Annual Report, 4/12/13]

JMI: “While Most Of JMI’s Board Members Have No Inclination To Go Into Elected Office, A Few Have. But Before They Became Known To Most Floridians, They Took An Active Role In The Governance Of The Institute.” According to JMI’s 2013 Annual Report, “While most of JMI’s board members have no inclination to go into elected office, a few have. But before they became known to most Floridians, they took an active role in the governance of the Institute.” [JMI Annual Report, 4/12/13]

Bush Joined JMI’s Board When He Was 37 And “At The Time Of His Departure,” His Father Had Recently Lost His Re-Election Bid “But A New Star In The Bush Family Was On The Rise.” According to JMI’s 2013 Annual Report, “In 1990, at the age of 37, Jeb Bush joined JMI’s board of directors, a post he would serve in until 1993. At the time of his departure from JMI’s board, his father, President George H.W. Bush, had recently lost a re-election bid, but a new star in the Bush family was on the rise.” [JMI Annual Report, 4/12/13]

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Jeb Bush’s Additional Longstanding Ties to the Koch Network Through ALEC and State Policy Network Affiliaites

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Koch Control And Funding Of ALEC And The State Policy Network
Kochs Had Decades-Long Connections With ALEC, Charles Koch Provided “Support” for ALEC; Koch Foundation Kept ALEC Afloat With $400,000 Loan

David Koch Acknowledged That His Family “Exerts Tight Ideological Control” Over The Organizations They Fund. “Many of the organizations funded by the Kochs employ specialists who write position papers that are subsequently quoted by politicians and pundits. David Koch has acknowledged that the family exerts tight ideological control. ‘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,’ he told Doherty. ‘And if they make a wrong turn and start doing things we don’t agree with, we withdraw funding.’” [The New Yorker, 8/30/10]

Charles Koch Said That He Provided “Support” for ALEC, Pacific Research Institute, Heartland Institute, Reason, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Among Others. “I […]

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Koch Opposition to Solar Energy In Florida

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Tea Party Groups Were Put “At Odds” With AFP After The Groups Formed A Coalition With Progressive Organizations In An Effort To Open Florida Up To The Solar Energy Industry. According to a transcript of NPR’s All Things Considered, “Florida is one of several states where the Tea Party has embraced a new cause: solar energy. Tea Party groups are teaming up with progressive organizations to open up the solar energy industry. It’s an unusual coalition and puts them at odds in some states with another conservative grassroots organization, the Koch brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity.” [NPR All Things Considered, 2/24/15]

Proposed Ballot Initiative Would “Allow Business Or Property Owners To Produce Up To 2 Megawatts Of Solar Power And Sell That Power Directly To Others, Such As Tenants, Without Having To Go Through A Utility.” According to the Tampa Bay Times, “If the proposed ballot measure passes, solar proponents argue it would open up Florida’s solar energy market, which has largely stagnated for years. The measure would allow business or property owners to produce up to 2 megawatts of solar power and sell that power directly to others, such as tenants, without having to go through a utility.” [Tampa Bay Times, 3/7/15]

  • “Only Five States, Including Florida, Ban The Practice” Of Allowing Business Or Property Owners To Sell Solar Power Directly To Others. According to the Tampa Bay Times, “Under state law, only utilities can sell electricity directly to consumers, though solar proponents argue that 36 states allow the practice. Only five states, including Florida, ban the practice.” [Tampa Bay Times, 3/7/15]
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The Koch Network’s Support For Rick Scott

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AFP President Tim Phillips: Gov. Rick Scott’s Leadership Has Led “To Impressive Job Creation, Better Education And A Balanced Budget, All Without Raising Taxes.” According to the Gainesville Sun, “AFP is welcoming Scott with open arms. ‘Since taking office two years ago, (Scott) has fought hard for the principles of economic freedom,’ AFP Foundation President Tim Phillips said in a statement announcing the governor’s appearance. Scott’s leadership has led ‘to impressive job creation, better education and a balanced budget, all without raising taxes,’ Phillips said.” [Gainesville Sun, 8/29/13]

AFP-FL State Director Chris Hudson: “Gov. Scott Has Continued To Fulfill The Promises He Made To Floridians When He Was Elected, By Cutting Taxes,” And “Trimming The Fat In State Government.” According to the Gainesville Sun, “Chris Hudson, AFP’s state director, said his group applauded the budget based on the tax cuts, budget reserves, efficiencies in state government operations as well as Scott’s efforts to continue to reduce overall state debt. ‘Gov. Scott has continued to fulfill the promises he made to Floridians when he was elected, by cutting taxes, trimming the fat in state government and working to push Florida’s economy to be the best in the nation,’ Hudson said.” [Gainesville Sun, 6/2/14]

AFP President Tim Phillips On AFP Helping Scott Get Re-Elected: “We’re Going To Use That Field Effort, Like We’re Already Doing, To Educate Folks On His Record. And It’s A Pretty Good One.” According to the Tampa Bay Times Blog, The Buzz, “Gov. Rick Scott is getting some help from Americans for Prosperity, which has begun phone banking and canvassing across Florida. The door-hangers pictured here are an example. ‘We’re going to use that field effort, like we’re already doing, to educate folks on his record. And it’s a pretty good one,’ AFP President Tim Phillips said in an interview near the group’s headquarters in Arlington, Va. AFP, which gets funding from the Koch brothers, has 10 field offices across Florida.” [Tampa Bay Times’ Buzz, 6/30/14]

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The Koch Network’s Early And Longstanding Support for Marco Rubio

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Sen. Marco Rubio Was The Keynote Speaker Of AFP Foundation’s 2013 “Defending The American Dream Summit” In Orlando. According to the Orlando Sentinel, “Republican U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin are among headline speakers announced for the ‘Defending the American Dream Summit’ conference the conservative action group Americans for Prosperity Foundation plans for Orlando in late August.” [Orlando Sentinel, 7/29/14]

AFP Gave Rubio A “100 Percent Score” On Its Scorecard In 2013. According to the Tampa Bay Times Blog, The Buzz, “Last week, two groups issued vote scorecards that put Rubio squarely in the conservative camp. Americans for Prosperity gave the Florida Republican a 100 percent score on issues it rated.” [Tampa Bay Times’ Buzz, 2/25/13]

AFP-FL State Director Slade O’Brien: “We Are Pleased To Announce Senator Rubio Is The Only US Senator To Receive A Lifetime Rating Of A+.” According to the Tampa Bay Times Blog, The Buzz, “‘The AFP Scorecard is the best way for our activists to keep a close eye on Washington, and confront them when they don’t vote responsibly,’ said AFP-FL State Director Slade O’Brien. ‘We are pleased to announce Senator Rubio is the only US Senator to receive a lifetime rating of A+.’” [Tampa Bay Times’ Buzz, 2/25/13]

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Who Else Supports Cliven Bundy’s Cause? The Koch-Backed Americans For Prosperity

Cliven Bundy’s racist rant and recent support from prominent Republicans like Rand Paul and Rick Perry may have made the front page of the New York Times, but lesser known is the support Bundy’s cause has received from the Koch brother’s primary political enterprise, Americans For Prosperity. AFP’s Nevada and Colorado affiliates have repeatedly come to the defense of Bundy’s cause, attacking the Bureau of Land Management and its actions via social media. Who will be next on AFP’s list of causes to defend?

Research after the jump.

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The Kochs’ Mission To Make Katrina Victims Pay More For Flood Insurance

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When Congress passed the 2012 Biggert-Waters Act, the goal was to keep the National Flood Insurance Program afloat after insurance payouts from several devastating hurricanes, including Katrina, left the program in debt. However, lawmakers did not foresee the legislation’s impact on Louisiana homeowners: sky-high flood insurance premiums for some of the same families that had already suffered through the “single most catastrophic natural disaster” in U.S. history. The Biggert-Waters Act hit some Louisiana families with annual premiums as high as $18,000 and threatened to destabilize the state’s property values and housing market.

Yet when Congress, backed by a wide bipartisan coalition, was preparing to halt the harmful effects the flood insurance hikes were having on Louisiana, the Koch brothers tried to intervene and kill the legislation. Their Tea Party-affiliated group, Americans for Prosperity, backed plans to end all federal flood insurance subsidies for property owners and preserve “the crux” of the faulty Biggert-
Waters Act despite its harm to Louisiana homeowners. Although opposition from conservative groups like AFP caused House leaders to delay a vote on the fix, Congress passed the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act in March 2014, staving off Biggert-Waters’ extreme premium hikes despite the Koch Brothers’ efforts.

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One More LIBRE Lie: ‘Voter ID Laws Don’t Hurt Latinos’

Image Credit: nshepard

It’s well documented that voter ID laws disproportionately disenfranchise Latinos, the same demographic for which the LIBRE Initiative claims to be advocating. Yet, the Koch-backed organization’s executive director, Daniel Garza, said he was in favor of the policy yesterday, with NBC News reporting Garza claims “he has no problem with requiring identification to vote because he believes in preserving the ‘integrity’ of the vote.”

The truth is: needless voter ID laws only serve to build up barriers to the ballot box for those that aren’t receptive to the Koch brothers’ regressive vision for America. As the New York Times noted on Monday, “There is virtually no in-person voter fraud; the purpose of these laws is to suppress voting.” Even a top RNC official admitted voter fraud is basically a straw-man of the right’s creation.

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REPORT: Highway to the Obstruction Zone: Republican Obstructionism has led to Crumbling Infrastructure and a National Crisis

Bridge Project today released a report on how Republican obstructionism and the Koch agenda is causing our infrastructure to crumble and creating a self-inflicted national crisis.

Republicans punted on the highway bill last summer by funding a short-term solution that is set to expire at the end of May. It’s starting to look like the GOP leadership will once again bow to pressure from the Tea Party and the Koch brothers by trying to pass another short-term fix.

Passing the highway bill used to be a bipartisan effort, until the Koch brothers’ Tea Party mentality seeped into the mainstream Republican Party — rejecting the idea of federally funded infrastructure entirely.

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