For Immediate Release:                         November 16, 2009

Contact:                                                        Ryan Hobart    (573) 636-5241 Ext. 125

Blunt visits Missouri to talk about his close ties to big oil and insurance special interests

Jefferson City, Mo – Congressman Roy Blunt spent last week visiting Missouri and defending his record of backing big oil and insurance special interests, and he was even confronted by fellow Republicans about the wasteful spending that has happened during his time in Washington.

Here are some of the highlights:

• In an interview with KSPR in Springfield, Congressman Blunt repeatedly said “I don’t know” when he was asked if it was true that he had taken more than $1million in big oil and energy special interests’ money during his time in Congress. However, according to an article in the Springfield News Leader, Blunt has take $1,012,398 from energy and natural resources interests since 1996.

• At a meeting of the West County Republicans in St. Louis, Congressman Blunt underwent what the St. Louis Beacon described as an “aggressive grilling” from fellow Republicans because of spending during his years in congress and his support for the Wall Street bank bailout and Medicare Part D. View video footage from the meeting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFn9JnOw1wQ

• On Friday, while in Fulton, Congressman Blunt said he would side with insurance companies to help them continue to limit access to health care for those with pre-existing conditions and drive up the costs for Missouri families [AP, 11/13/09].

• And on Saturday at a “Campaign for Liberty” conference in Sedalia, his primary opponent, Senator Chuck Purgason, railed against the Republican Party establishment, saying they have lost their way and condemning Congressman Blunt and his fellow Republican Congressional leadership as responsible for creating the huge deficit our country now faces.

“Congressman Blunt is beginning to find that his Washington record of support for unprecedented spending and perks for big oil and insurance special interests doesn’t sit too well with Missourians,” said Missouri Democratic Party Executive Director Brian Zuzenak. “People are not looking for more of the same old Washington insider deal-making that Congressman Blunt symbolizes, and he will have to continue to answer for his record when he visits Missouri.”
Congressman Blunt, Senator Chuck Purgason and Kansas City auto consultant Mark Memoly are competing in the August 2010 primary for the Republican nomination for US Senate

For Immediate Release:                 November 12, 2009

Contact:                                                Ryan Hobart    (573) 636-5241 Ext. 125

Over $ 1 Million in Big Oil and Energy Contributions to Blunt’s Campaign Coffers

Jefferson City, Mo. — During a recent interview with KSPR in Springfield, Congressman Roy Blunt repeatedly claimed he didn’t know how much campaign money he has received from big oil and energy throughout his years in Congress. (KSPR 11/11/09) From the interview, in which Blunt is discussing a recent TV ad playing about his relationship with big oil:

KSPR: “…They [League of Conservation Voters] claim that you took nearly a million dollars from big oil and energy interests.  Is that true?”

Blunt:  “Well, I don’t know if that’s true or not…”

KSPR: “So you don’t know the number that you’ve taken from big oil?

Blunt: “I don’t know, actually…”

Congressman Blunt may “not know,” not remember, or not care how much the oil and gas industry has paid him during his time in Congress, but the number is not too hard to track down. According to a recent article in the Springfield News-Leader, “campaign finance records show Blunt has taken $1,012,398 from energy and natural resources interests since 1996, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.”

In fact, during the last fund-raising quarter, Halliburton and Exxon Mobil both contributed $2,000 to Blunt’s campaign. In addition, Marathon Oil donated $5000, Occidental Petroleum donated $1,000 and Chevron donated $2,000.  As if that weren’t enough to jog his memory, ExxonMobil even hosted an oil industry fundraiser for him in Washington, DC less than two months ago.   (Friends of Roy Blunt, October Quarterly Report; The Sunlight Foundation)

What does all this money to Blunt’s campaign committees buy?  Quite a lot it turns out. Congressman Blunt has voted again and again to give oil and gas companies tens of billions in tax breaks and subsidies – even when the industry was earning record profits.   In 2005, The Washington Post called the 1,700-page energy bill, which Blunt helped write, “a piñata of perks for energy industries.” [HR6, Vote 132, 4/21/05; HR 6, Vote 630, 11/18/03; Washington Post, 7/30/05]

“Maybe a million dollars in cash from big oil and energy special interests is just a drop in the bucket for Congressman Blunt, but Missouri families struggling with rising energy prices aren’t so lucky,” said Missouri Democratic Party Executive Director Brian Zuzenak. “Congressman Blunt will try and point fingers and distract folks from his cozy quid pro quo relationship, but his record shows that he’s spent the past 12 years in Washington lavishing tax breaks on big oil companies and sticking Missouri consumers with the bill.”

This isn’t the first time Blunt’s record of taking large amounts of campaign cash from lobbyists and special interests has come to the surface.

Last month, USA Today noted that Congressman Blunt has taken more money from lobbyists than any other candidate in the nation this year. During the first six months of 2009, Blunt took $310,534 from lobbyists, putting him ahead of both the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee. (USA Today, 10/4/09)

Congressman Blunt faces State Senator Chuck Purgason and Kansas City auto consultant Mark Memoly in the August 2010 primary for the Republican nominee for US Senate.

For Immediate Release:                Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Contact:                                               Committeewoman Angela Newsom (314) 420-9440

57^th House District Democratic Committee Will Nominate Candidate

ST. LOUIS, MO – The 57^th House District Democratic Committee will nominate a candidate to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Representative Talibdin El-Amin.  The meeting will be held on Saturday, November 14, 2009 beginning at 2:00 PM in the 26^th Ward at Binions (5917 Delmar Blvd.).

The Committee is comprised of St. Louis City Democratic Central Committeemen and Committeewomen within the 57^th House District.  Committeewoman Nora Neal of the 22^nd Ward will serve as Chairwoman, Committeeman Joe Palm of the 26^th Ward will serve as Chairman and Committeewoman Angela Newsom of the 26^th Ward will serve as Secretary of the Committee.

Each candidate seeking to the Democratic Party nomination will have an opportunity to speak publicly at the meeting and answer questions from Committee members.  Both the speeches by the nominees and the question and answer session will be open to the public.  However, the nominating process will be private.

“We want to give residents of the 57^th House District an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates that hope to represent our district in Jefferson City,” said Committeewoman Angela Newsom.  “We are going to pick the best candidate for the job based on what we hear at Saturday’s meeting.”

For more information, please contact Committeewoman Angela Newsom at (314) 420-9440 or visit www.citydems.org.

For Immediate Release:                         November 10, 2009

Contact:                                                Ryan Hobart    (573) 636-5241 Ext. 125

Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Congressman Blunt puts Corporate Special Interests Before Veterans

Blunt has cut billions in benefits for veterans during career

Jefferson City, Mo — This week, as the nation honors the extraordinary sacrifices made by our veterans and military retirees, Congressman Roy Blunt is hoping that Missourians will listen to what he says, not what he does, and forget his abysmal voting record on veterans’ issues. While Blunt was lavishing tax breaks on corporate special interests and bailing out his friends on Wall Street, he was turning his back on the hundreds of thousands of veterans in Missouri by cutting funding for their health care and benefits.

“Actions speak louder than words, and Congressman Blunt has consistently put corporate special interests before veterans’ health care and benefits,” said Missouri Democratic Party Executive Director Brian Zuzenak. “In fact, during his years in Washington, Congressman Blunt cut veterans’ benefits by billions of dollars, but advocated for billions of dollars in corporate tax breaks and bailouts for his big business friends. This is just another reminder that Congressman Blunt’s Washington insider priorities may serve corporate special interests, but they don’t serve Missouri veterans or their families.”

For example, here are some of Congressman Blunt’s votes against veterans:

· Cut Veterans Health Care By $13.5 Billion: In 2005, Blunt voted to cut funding for veterans health care by $13.5 billion over five years. [HCR95, Vote 149, 4/28/05]

· Cast Deciding Vote to Defeat $53 Million Boost for Veterans Health Care & Benefits. In 2005, Blunt voted against an amendment to add $53 million for veterans health care and other benefits.[HR2528, Vote 224,5/26/05]

· Opposed Expanding TRICARE to Thousands of National Guard & Reserve Volunteers. In 2005, Blunt voted against a motion to expand access to the military’s TRICARE health insurance program, at the time open to only active duty service members, to thousands of reservist and National Guard members. A 2003 report by the General Accounting Office showed that 20 percent of all Reservists did not have health insurance, and 40 percent of Reservists aged 19 to 35 lacked health coverage.[HR1815, Vote 221,5/25/05]

· Opposed Job Assistance for Veterans Returning from Overseas. In 2005, Blunt voted against providing extra assistance to veterans who are returning from conflicts overseas. Four out of 10 members of the Guard and Reserve forces lose income when they leave their civilian jobs for active duty. [HR27, Vote 47,3/02/05]

Congressman Blunt, Senator Chuck Purgason and Kansas City auto consultant Mark Memoly are competing in the August 2010 primary for the Republican nomination for US Senate.

Blunt has cut billions in benefits for veterans during career

Jefferson City, Mo — This week, as the nation honors the extraordinary sacrifices made by our veterans and military retirees, Congressman Roy Blunt is hoping that Missourians will listen to what he says, not what he does, and forget his abysmal voting record on veterans’ issues. While Blunt was lavishing tax breaks on corporate special interests and bailing out his friends on Wall Street, he was turning his back on the hundreds of thousands of veterans in Missouri by cutting funding for their health care and benefits.

“Actions speak louder than words, and Congressman Blunt has consistently put corporate special interests before veterans’ health care and benefits,” said Missouri Democratic Party Executive Director Brian Zuzenak. “In fact, during his years in Washington, Congressman Blunt cut veterans’ benefits by billions of dollars, but advocated for billions of dollars in corporate tax breaks and bailouts for his big business friends. This is just another reminder that Congressman Blunt’s Washington insider priorities may serve corporate special interests, but they don’t serve Missouri veterans or their families.”

For example, here are some of Congressman Blunt’s votes against veterans:

· Cut Veterans Health Care By $13.5 Billion: In 2005, Blunt voted to cut funding for veterans health care by $13.5 billion over five years. [HCR95, Vote 149, 4/28/05]

· Cast Deciding Vote to Defeat $53 Million Boost for Veterans Health Care & Benefits. In 2005, Blunt voted against an amendment to add $53 million for veterans health care and other benefits.[HR2528, Vote 224,5/26/05]

· Opposed Expanding TRICARE to Thousands of National Guard & Reserve Volunteers. In 2005, Blunt voted against a motion to expand access to the military’s TRICARE health insurance program, at the time open to only active duty service members, to thousands of reservist and National Guard members. A 2003 report by the General Accounting Office showed that 20 percent of all Reservists did not have health insurance, and 40 percent of Reservists aged 19 to 35 lacked health coverage.[HR1815, Vote 221,5/25/05]

· Opposed Job Assistance for Veterans Returning from Overseas. In 2005, Blunt voted against providing extra assistance to veterans who are returning from conflicts overseas. Four out of 10 members of the Guard and Reserve forces lose income when they leave their civilian jobs for active duty. [HR27, Vote 47,3/02/05]

Congressman Blunt, Senator Chuck Purgason and Kansas City auto consultant Mark Memoly are competing in the August 2010 primary for the Republican nomination for US Senate.