A Friendly Tax Day Reminder: More Wasteful Spending On the Way

April 17, 2012

FYI, a similar version of this release below went out to the following districts: Shelley Adler (NJ-03), Pete Aguilar (CA-31), Jason Altmire (PA-12), Jeff Anderson (MN-08), George Badey (PA-07), Ron Barber (AZ-08), John Barrow (GA-12), Ami Bera (CA-07), Tim Bishop (NY-01), Kathy Boockvar (PA-08), Leonard Boswell (IA-03), Bruce Braley (IA-01), Cheri Bustos (IL-17), Lois Capps (CA-24), Ben Chandler (KY-06), Andrei Cherny (AZ-09), David Cicilline (RI-01), Tarryl Clark (MN-08), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Jim Costa (CA-16), Mark Critz (PA-12), David Crooks (IN-08), John Delaney (MD-06), Val Demings (FL-10), Tammy Duckworth (IL-08), Bill Foster (IL-11), Lois Frankel (FL-22), Pete Gallego (TX-23), John Garamendi (CA-03), Alan Grayson (FL-09), Raul Grijalva (AZ-07), Pam Gulleson (ND-AL), Clark Hall (AR-01), Brad Harriman (IL-12), Jose Hernandez (CA-10), Brian Higgins (NY-26), Jim Himes (CT-04), Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15), Paul Hirschbiel (VA-02), Kathy Hochul (NY-27), Rush Holt (NJ-12), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Q. Byrum Hurst (AR-04), Steve Israel (NY-03), Bill Keating (MA-09), Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-01), Larry Kissell (NC-08), Pat Kreitlow (WI-07), Ann McLane Kuster (NH-02), Rick Larsen (WA-02), David Loebsack (IA-02), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), Nita Lowey (NY-17), Dan Maffei (NY-24), Larry Maggi (PA-18), Jim Matheson (UT-04), Carolyn McCarthy (NY-04), Gary McDowell (MI-01), Mike McIntyre (NC-07), Jerry McNerney (CA-09), Michael Michaud (ME-02), Joe Miklosi (CO-06), Brendan Mullen (IN-02), Patrick Murphy (FL-18), Mark Murphy (NY-11), Rick Nolan (MN-08), John Oceguera (NV-03), Bill Owens (NY-21), Sal Pace (CO-03), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), Scott Peters (CA-52), Collin Peterson (MN-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Nick Rahall (WV-03), Ciro Rodriguez (TX-23), Raul Ruiz (CA-36), Lori Saldaña (CA-52), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Brandon Shaffer (CO-04), Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01), Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09), Louise Slaughter (NY-25), Betty Sutton (OH-16), Mark Takano (CA-41), John Tierney (MA-06), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Manan Trivedi (PA-06), Niki Tsongas (MA-03), Christie Vilsack (IA-04), Bill Vinsko (PA-11), Jamie Wall (WI-08), Tim Walz (MN-01), Charlie Wilson (OH-06), John Yarmuth (KY-03)

A Friendly Tax Day Reminder: More Wasteful Spending On the Way
Matheson and Obama’s Record-Setting Spending Sprees Bring Outrageous Examples of Waste, Like an $823,000 Las Vegas Bash

WASHINGTON — It should be no surprise that on this Tax Day, Jim Matheson and his fellow Washington Democrats are finding themselves in the midst of a government spending scandal after perpetuating record-setting levels of spending and debt under their watch. New details continue to emerge about the General Services Administration’s (GSA) lavish $823,000 Las Vegas conference, despite the fact that the GSA is supposed to find ways to save taxpayer dollars instead of waste them.

“Jim Matheson and President Obama’s big-government policies have resulted in a record-shattering government spending and borrowing spree that is only making things worse,” said NRCC Communications Director Paul Lindsay. “The Matheson-Obama economy remains stagnant, while current and future taxpayers will pay the price for the exploding deficit.”

The Obama Administration is embroiled in a spending scandal this Tax Day after reports that the GSA spent $823,000 on a lavish Las Vegas conference:

“Inspector General Brian Miller told a congressional committee scrutinizing an $823,000 Las Vegas conference that his office has asked the Justice Department to investigate ‘all sorts of improprieties’ surrounding the 2010 event, ‘including bribes, including possible kickbacks.’ He did not provide details… Taxpayers picked up the tab for a mind reader, bicycles for a team-building exercise and a slew of private parties at the conference.” (Lisa Rein and Ed O’Keefe, “GSA inspector general is investigating possible bribes, kickbacks,” The Washington Post, 4/16/12)

This flagrant misuse of the taxpayers’ dollars has been enabled by the big-spending culture perpetuated by Washington Democrats since President Obama took office:

“In 2009, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) urged the White House and individual federal agencies to lift government travel bans on ‘cities known as resort towns’ like Las Vegas — the site of a controversial $823,000 General Services Administration conference in 2010.” (Meredith Shiner, “Harry Reid Pushed to Allow Government Conferences in Vegas,” Roll Call, 4/16/12)

And government spending is at all-time highs under the Obama Administration:

“The U.S. government spent more in March than it had in any prior month on record. The government spent $369.37 billion last month, about $30 billion more than it spent in March 2011. For March alone, the U.S. recorded a budget deficit of $198.16 billion, about $10 billion more than the same month last year, according to the U.S. Treasury Department’s latest budget figures released Wednesday. It was the highest March deficit ever.” (Eric Morath, “March 2012 Outlays Highest Monthly Spending Ever – US Treasury,” Dow Jones Newswires, 4/11/12)

A Friendly Tax Day Reminder: More Wasteful Spending On the Way http://ow.ly/akWOq #madeinwdc

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