Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate: The Crist-Meek “Unsustainable” Spending Spree

CBO Head Calls Country’s Fiscal Direction “Unsustainable” Over A Year After The Obama-Meek-Crist Stimulus Passed
Miami, FL – Today, the head of the Congressional Budget Office said that the country’s current fiscal trajectory was “unsustainable” as increased spending led to a crushing debt burden. Unfortunately, for Floridians, Charlie Crist and Kendrick Meek have contributed to our nation’s “unsustainable” debt by supporting the Obama-Reid-Pelosi agenda of wasteful stimulus spending. Check out the facts below about the Crist-Meek “Unsustainable” Spending Spree:

Today, The Head Of The Congressional Budget Office Called The Country’s Fiscal Path “Unsustainable”:

This Morning, The Head Of The Congressional Budget Office Warned That The Country’s Fiscal Direction Was “Unsustainable.” “The nation’s fiscal path is ‘unsustainable,’ and the problem ‘cannot be solved through minor tinkering,’ the head of the Congressional Budget Office said Thursday morning. … Elmendorf noted a recent CBO report that pegged an increase in the public debt from $7.5 trillion at the end of 2009 to $20.3 trillion at the end of 2020 if President Barack Obama’s fiscal 2011 budget were to be implemented as written. As a percentage of gross domestic product, the debt would rise from 53 percent to 90 percent, CBO forecasted. The only other time the percentage was that high was right after World War II.” (Jonathan Allen, “CBO Chief Says Debt ‘Unsustainable,’” Politico, 4/8/10)

Charlie Crist And Kendrick Meek Stood Together To Support The $800 Billion Plus Wasteful Stimulus Bill:

Charlie Crist Campaigned With President Obama For The Stimulus “Almost At The Exact Time That Most Republican Senators Were Voting Against The $800 Billion-Plus Federal Stimulus Bill In Washington.” “The governor who was once talked about as a Republican vice presidential candidate stood on stage with his party’s rival Tuesday and pushed for support of a stimulus package most of the GOP is against. Gov. Charlie Crist introduced President Barack Obama at the Harborside Event Center, almost at the exact time that most Republican senators were voting against the $800 billion-plus federal stimulus bill in Washington. Crist was adamant in his support of the bill.” (Ryan Hiraki, “Florida Gov. Crist, Reps Agree To Disagree On Package,” Fort Myers News-Press, 2/11/09)

• Crist Says He “Absolutely” Would Have Voted For The Stimulus. “Florida Senate candidate Gov. Charlie Crist has gone wobbly on his support for the Obama stimulus package… Most revealing, he told CNN on November 4th: ‘I didn’t endorse it, I didn’t even have a vote on the darn thing.’ But when I interviewed Crist this spring for my piece The GOP Jihad, here’s what he told me he’d have done had he had a darn vote: ROLLING STONE: ‘Just a final question: Had you been in the Senate, would you have voted with the other Republicans for the stimulus package?’ CRIST: ‘Absolutely.’” (“Crist ‘Absolutely’ Would Have Voted For Stimulus,” Rolling Stone, 11/16/09)

Kendrick Meek Voted In Favor Of The $787 Billion Conference Report To The “Stimulus” Bill. (H.R. 1, CQ Vote #70: Adopted 246-183: R 0-176; D 246-7, 2/13/09, Meek Voted Yea)

• Meek Also Voted For The $819 Billion House-Passed Stimulus. (H.R. 1, CQ Vote # 46: Adopted 244-188: R 0-177; D 224-11, 1/28/09, Meek Voted Yea)

Meek Has A Long Record Of Supporting Out-Of-Control Spending:

Meek Voted In Favor Of The $410 Billion FY09 Omnibus Appropriation Bill. “Passage of the bill that would provide $410 billion in discretionary spending in fiscal 2009 for federal departments and agencies covered by nine unfinished fiscal 2009 spending bills. The measure incorporates the following previously separate appropriations bills from the 110th Congress: Agriculture; Commerce-Justice-Science; Energy-Water; Financial Services; Interior-Environment; Labor-HHS-Education; Legislative Branch; State-Foreign Operations; and Transportation-HUD. It would also provide $100 million for the U.S. Secret Service and block the automatic cost-of-living adjustment for members of Congress in 2010.” (H.R. 1105, CQ Vote #86: Passed 245-178: R 16-158; D 229-20, 2/25/09, Meek Voted Yea)

• “The Bill Includes An 8.5 Percent Across-The-Board Increase Over Last Year And Billions Of Dollars Worth Of Pet Projects.” (Trish Turner, “Senate Poised to Pass $410 Billion Spending Bill Tuesday,” Fox News, 3/9/09)

Kendrick Meek Voted In Favor Of The House-Passed Fiscal Year 2010 Trillion Dollar Budget Resolution. “Adoption of the concurrent resolution that would allow up to $1.089 trillion in non-emergency discretionary spending for fiscal 2010, plus $130 billion in fiscal 2010 for the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. It would create 17 reserve funds, each with a specific purpose to allow for increases in spending or changes in tax policy, provided the increase is offset. It would call on the Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and Labor committees to report reconciliation bills that reduce the deficit by $1 billion from fiscal 2009 to 2014, to provide for health care and education legislation. It also would assume a reduction of the deficit to $598 billion by fiscal 2014.” (H. Con Res. 85, CQ Vote #192: Adopted 233-196; R 0-176; D 233-20, 4/2/09, Meek Voted Yea)

Kendrick Meek Also Voted To Amend The Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Resolution To Set Even Higher Taxes And Increase Spending Plans To $3 Trillion. “Substitute amendment that would set total spending outlays at $3.02 trillion in fiscal 2010. It would assume increased federal revenue by a repeal of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts on the top 1 percent of U.S. households. It also would call for a 0.6 percent surtax on adjustable gross income exceeding $500,000 for individuals ($1 million for joint filers) and as well as increased funding for health care, education, veterans issues, foreign assistance, job training, justice and transportation.” (H. Con Res. 85, CQ Vote #190: Rejected 113-318; R 0-175; D 113-143, 4/2/09, Meek Voted Yea)

Kendrick Meek Voted For An Omnibus Appropriations Bill That Contained Nearly $450 Billion In Discretionary Spending. “Adoption of the conference report on the bill that would provide $446.8 billion in discretionary spending in fiscal 2010 for federal departments and agencies covered by six unfinished fiscal 2010 spending bills. The measure incorporates the following previously separate appropriations bills from the 111th Congress: Commerce-Justice-Science; Financial Services; Interior-Environment; Labor-HHS-Education; Military Construction-VA; State-Foreign Operations; and Transportation-HUD. It also would prohibit the release or transfer of detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, into the United States, for any reason other than prosecution.” (H.R. 3288, CQ Vote #949: Adopted 221-202: R 0-174; D 221-28, 12/10/09, Meek Voted Yea)

And Like Charlie Crist, Kendrick Meek Supports Cap-And-Trade:

Meek Voted For The Cap-And-Trade Legislation Passed In The House. “Passage of the bill that would create a cap-and-trade system for limiting greenhouse gas emissions and set new requirements for electric utilities. The EPA would be allowed to auction emission allowances to permit the buyer to emit a certain amount of greenhouse gases. Under the bill, three-quarters of emission allowances would be provided to polluters free of charge, based on formulas, when the cap-and-trade program would begin in 2012. Remaining allowances would be sold at auction. By 2030, 75 percent of the allowances would be sold to polluters by EPA. The bill would limit emissions at 17 percent below current levels in 2020, 42 percent in 2030 and 83 percent in 2050. Companies such as electric utilities, refineries and factories could buy and sell pollution allowances and get credit for funding special projects to reduce emissions on farms and in forests. It would require utilities to produce 15 percent of the nation’s electricity from renewable sources by 2020, with another 5 percent energy savings from efficiency. States could petition to bring the renewable mandate down to 12 percent, with 8 percent from efficiency. It would set new emissions standards for coal-fired power plants, and new energy efficiency and water use standards for buildings and products. It would establish programs to assist energy consumers with higher utility bills as a result of the system. It also would create programs for electrical transmission lines, smart grid technologies, modernizing electricity infrastructure to respond to changing conditions, reduction of emissions, increased energy efficiency, and carbon capture and sequestration.” (H.R. 2454, CQ Vote # 477: Passed 219-212: R 8-168; D 211-44, 6/26/09, Meek Voted Yea)

CONTACT: Alex Burgos (305) 389-3594

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