FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 18, 2012
CONTACT: Matt Canter, (202) 485-3129

Heather Wilson Stands With National Republicans in DC, Backing Their Agenda That Cuts Medicare & Privatizes Social Security To Pay For More Tax Breaks For the Wealthy

Named One of the Most Corrupt Washington Politicians, Wilson Is A Rubberstamp for Republican Policies That Would Hurt New Mexico’s Middle Class

One of the most corrupt Washington politicians, Heather Wilson touted her candidacy in the offices of top Republican party leaders in Washington today, making clear that she would be a rubberstamp for the Republican party’s agenda that aims to end Medicare and privatize Social Security in order to pay for more tax breaks for the wealthy and preserve tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas.

“Congresswoman Heather Wilson’s decision to stand with the same Washington Republicans who are trying to end Medicare shows New Mexicans that Wilson would be a rubberstamp for Washington Republican’s extreme agenda in the Senate,” said Matt Canter, spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.  “Named one of Washington’s most corrupt politicians, Heather Wilson has already proven that she has no problem doing the dirty work for Republican party leaders like Karl Rove and the corporate special interests that are propping up her campaign.  If New Mexicans send Heather Wilson back to Washington, there is no doubt she would support cutting Medicare and privatizing Social Security in order to preserve tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas and give more tax breaks to millionaires.”

Roll Call reported that Heather Wilson held a press conference in one of the offices at the GOP Victory Center, a hub for Republican electioneering.  Former Congresswoman Wilson spent years in Washington and her record is a disaster – raising her own pay, providing tax giveaways to oil companies and millionaires, and voting six times against raising the minimum wage. Former Congresswoman Wilson’s misplaced priorities put millionaires ahead of the middle class, and her press conference today shows that she would continue that record in the Senate.

Wilson Named One Of The Most Corrupt Members Of Congress For Her Role In The US Attorney Scandal. In 2007, CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) named Wilson to its annual list of the most corrupt members of Congress.  They put her on the list because of her involvement in the US Attorney Scandal. According to former New Mexico US Attorney David Iglesias, Wilson contacted him on October 16, 2006, to pressure him to take action on a political corruption case, which she was using as political fodder against her opponent Patricia Madrid. [CREW Release, 9/18/07; AP, 4/19/07]

Wilson Voted Against Raising The Minimum Wage Six Times. In 2006 and 2007, Wilson voted six times against minimum wage increases or to kill Democratic attempts to even be allowed to offer a minimum wage increase. [CQ Floor Votes; HR 2206, Vote 333, 5/10/07; CQ House Action Reports, No. 110-3,3/20/07; HR 1591, Vote 186, 3/23/07; Leadership Document, “Democrats are Fighting for a New Direction: A Pay Raise for Millions of Americans,” 7/19/06; HR2389, Vote 382, 7/19/06; HR2990,Vote#364, 7/12/06; HR4411, Vote 360, 7/11/06; HR5672, Vote 319, 6/27/06] 

Albuquerque Tribune Editorial Called On Wilson To Support Minimum Wage Increase While Allowing Her Own Pay To Go Up. In July 2006, the editorial board of the Albuquerque Tribune criticized Wilson for allowing a congressional pay raise to take effect while not supporting a meaningful increase in the minimum wage. They wrote, “The minimum wage has been stagnant at a mere $5.15 per hour for nearly 10 years now. That’s just shy of $11,000 per year and well below the poverty line for a family of three. For more than half of that time, Republicans - including Wilson, Bush and Sen. Pete Domenici of Albuquerque - have controlled the federal government. During the same period in which the minimum wage has been stuck below the poverty level, Congress has managed to give its own members more than $30,000 in wage raises, to the current $165,200 per year. That salary is scheduled, based on cost-of-living arguments that apparently affect only federal legislators, to automatically rise to $168,500. Domenici and Wilson supported the raise. Wilson voted for it last week, while the state’s other congressional Republican representative, Steve Pearce of Hobbs, continued his admirable practice of voting against congressional pay raises for himself and his colleagues…So why have Domenici and Wilson - often quick to support tax cuts for the wealthy, including repeal of the estate tax - been essentially AWOL on an issue that has gained substantial support among local lawmakers, despite its controversial nature and opposition by businesses? [Albuquerque Tribune, Editorial, 7/4/06]

Wilson Voted Six Times To Allow Congressional Pay Raises. In the House, Wilson voted six times to allow her own salary to increase. [CQ Floor Votes, 6/13/06; H RES 865, Vote #261, 6/13/06; CQ Floor Votes, 6/28/05; HR 342, Vote #327, 6/28/05; CQ Floor Votes, 9/14/04; H Res 770, Vote #451, 9/14/04; CQ Floor Votes, 9/04/03; H. Res. 351, Vote #463, 9/4/03; CQ Floor Votes, 7/18/02; H. Res. 488, Vote #322, 7/18/02; CQ Floor Votes, 7/25/01; H Res. 206, Vote #267, 7/25/01]

Wilson Repeatedly Voted for Handouts to Big Oil. During her career in Congress, Wilson voted at least 13 times to protect tax breaks and give subsidies for oil companies. [Vote 78, 2/27/08; Vote 80, 2/27/08;Vote 1140, 12/06/07; Vote 511, 6/19/07; Vote 232, 6/07/06; Vote 208, 5/25/06; Vote 40, 1/18/07; Vote 445, 7/28/05; Vote 320, 8/02/01; Vote 320, 8/02/01; Vote 630, 11/18/03; Vote 132, 4/21/05; Vote 528, 10/21/99]

Wilson Consistently Supported Bush-Era Tax Cuts That Overwhelmingly Benefited Millionaires. In 2001, Wilson supported President Bush’s first round of tax cuts. In 2003, Wilson supported another round of tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefited the wealthy. In 2004, Wilson supported President Bush’s budget that permanently locked in multitrillion-dollar tax breaks that mostly benefit the nation’s wealthiest. In 2005, Wilson backed a Republican bill that extended capital gains and dividend tax breaks for the rich. And in 2006 Wilson backed another Republican tax break package that the Washington Post dubbed a “windfall for the rich, and a hole in the federal budget.” [HR 1836, Vote 149, 5/26/01; HR 2, Vote 225, 5/23/03; Center for Budget & Policy Priorities, 5/28/03;; H Con Res 393, Vote 92, 3/25/04; Vote 621, 12/8/05; Chicago Tribune, 12/9/05; HR4297, Vote 135, 5/10/06; Washington Post, 5/11/06] 

2006 Study: 99% of New Mexicans Taxpayers Are Net Losers Under the Bush Tax Cuts.According to a study conducted by Citizens for Tax Justice, 99% of New Mexican taxpayers were net losers under the Bush tax cuts.  For the wealthiest one percent of New Mexico residents, who have an average income of $720,500, the tax breaks outweigh the added debt burden accumulated from 2001 through 2006 by an average of $14,450 per family member. They have received an average tax break of $50,630 per family member, which exceeds their added debt burden of $36,179 by $14,750. In contrast, the added debt burden accumulated from 2001 through 2006 outweighs the tax breaks for the other 99 percent of New Mexico residents by an average of $7,589 per person. They have received a tax break of $2,305, but their added debt burden is $9,894 per person. [Citizens for Tax Justice, “99% of New Mexicans Are Net Losers Under Bush Tax and Spending Policies,” June 2006]

Wilson Supported Cut, Cap, & Balance Plan That Would Force Deep Cuts To Social Security And Medicare While Protecting Tax Breaks For Millionaires And Big Corporations. In June 2011, Wilson released a video announcing her signing of the Cut, Cap and Balance Pledge. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “It is inconceivable, however, that policymakers would meet the bill’s severe annual spending caps through automatic across-the board cuts year after year; if they did, key government functions would be crippled. Policymakers would have little alternative but to institute deep cuts in specific programs. […] Reaching and maintaining a balanced budget in the decade ahead while barring any tax increases would necessitate deep cuts in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.” [Heather Wilson Youtube Channel, accessed 8/15/11; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 7/16/11]

CBPP President: Cut, Cap And Balance “Protects Tax Breaks And Tax Subsidies For The Wealthy And Powerful.” In a July 2011 statement, Robert Greenstein, president of the non-partisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said “The [Cut, Cap and Balance] bill overturns a feature of various bipartisan budget laws over the past quarter century, by subjecting programs for the poorest Americans to the specter of meat-axe across-the-board cuts.  It does so even as it protects tax breaks and tax subsidies for the wealthy and powerful by erecting a constitutional barrier to any measure that would raise any revenue.” [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Robert Greenstein Statement, 7/16/11]

CBPP: “Because Taxes … Would Be Virtually Impossible To Raise As A Result Of The New Constitutional Barrier, Social Security Solvency Would Have To Be Restored Entirely Through Benefit Cuts.” According to a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities statement on the Cut, Cap and Balance Plan, “Moreover, because taxes — including payroll taxes — would be virtually impossible to raise as a result of the new constitutional barrier, Social Security solvency would have to be restored entirely through benefit cuts. Balanced Social Security packages that include measures to raise Social Security’s $106,000 payroll tax cap, so that higher-income Americans do not escape the tax on much of their earnings, would effectively be ruled out.” [CBPP,7/16/11]