Flashback: Paul Ryan Can’t Wait For Rick Berg to Get to the Senate
Ryan Endorsed Berg on North Dakota Radio For Supporting His Budget That Cuts Taxes For Millionaires and Ends the Guarantee of Medicare
MANDAN, N.D. – The selection of Rep. Paul Ryan will serve as an ongoing reminder to North Dakota voters of Rep. Rick Berg’s history of voting in lockstep with Ryan and his party leaders in the House, even at the expense of North Dakota’s middle class.
“With his record of voting in lockstep with his party leaders for a budget that would cut taxes for millionaires like himself, end the guarantee of Medicare and raise costs by $6,000, it’s no wonder Rick Berg doesn’t want to debate the issues,” said Tessa Gould, campaign manager for Heidi Heitkamp. “Paul Ryan’s selection means that Rick Berg will no longer be able to hide his support for a budget that helps millionaires like himself at the expense of everyday North Dakotans.”
Berg, who voted twice for Paul Ryan’s budgets, was also endorsed by Paul Ryan on North Dakota radio last year.
Hennen: “Are you okay with losing Berg on the House and having him move on up there unlike the –”
Paul Ryan: “Actually he’s on the Ways and Means committee, which I started with him on and so that’s the committee that oversees this program (Medicare) so he really knows how this stuff works. I’d love to — well, I’m happy for him but I’m sad for us in the House. He’s really a good guy, and he really knows what he’s doing. And you know, I just hope he’s got somebody good coming from North Dakota to fill his shoes in the House.” [Scott Hennen Show, 06.07.11]
Background:
Rick Berg Voted For The 2012 Ryan Budget That Would Gut Medicare. On March 29, 2012, Rick Berg voted for the Paul Ryan budget plan, which would significantly gut Medicare and Medicaid while cutting taxes for the rich. [Vote 151, 3/29/12]
Ranking House Ag Committee Member: Berg/Ryan Budget “Guarantee[s] There Will Be No Farm Bill.” According to Reuters: “The budget proposed today by Republican House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan would ‘guarantee there will be no farm bill this year,’ Minnesota Representative Colin Peterson said. Republican leaders, in attempting to avoid defense cuts, have chosen to ‘leave farmers and hungry families hurting,’ Peterson, the ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, said in an e-mailed message. Ryan’s plan would cut $30 billion from agriculture spending over 10 years.” [Reuters, 3/20/12]
CBO: The Ryan Budget Would Force Seniors To Pay $6,400 More For The Same Coverage That They Currently Receive. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that by 2022, the first Ryan budget would’ve force seniors to shoulder 61 percent of the costs associated with Medicare benefits. This would amount to approximately $6,400 in additional fees that seniors would be obligated to spend to receive the same services that are currently provided. [Congressional Budget Office, 4/5/11]
Berg/Ryan Plan Cuts Taxes by $265,000 for the wealthy. According to the Tax Policy Center: “TPC found that in 2015, relative to today’s tax system, those making $1 million or more would enjoy an average tax cut of $265,000 and see their after-tax income increase by 12.5 percent. By contrast, half of those making between $20,000 and $30,000 would get no tax cut at all. On average, people in that income group would get a tax reduction of $129. Ryan would raise their after-tax income by 0.5 percent.” [Center for Tax Justice, 3/23/12]
Last Year, Berg’s Unearned Income Was Between $2 Million And $10 Million, Which Makes Him The 14th Richest U.S. House Member. According to Berg’s publicly disclosed Personal Financial Disclosure form, during the 2010 calendar year, his unearned income ranged between $2,095,524 and $10,042,353. The Center for Responsive Politics estimates that Berg’s average net worth is $33.5 million, which makes him the 14th richest member of the U.S. House. [Personal Financial Disclosure Form, 2010; Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 4/9/12]
Berg/Ryan Plan Encourages Companies to Ship Jobs Overseas. The Wall Street Journal explained: “Under the Ryan-Camp proposal, companies essentially would pay just the tax rate of the country where the profits are earned. … Critics say such a move would prompt American firms to avoid taxes by moving operations overseas even faster than they already are, harming American workers and reducing investment in the U.S.” [Wall Street Journal, 3/20/12]
In 2011, Rick Berg Voted To End Medicare As We Know It. In 2011, Rick Berg Berg voted for the House Republican budget blueprint drafted by Paul Ryan that would effectively end Medicare. The budget would allow $2.859 trillion in new budget authority for fiscal 2012, including up to $1.019 trillion in non-emergency discretionary spending. It proposes converting the federal share of Medicaid to a block grant to states. It calls for converting Medicare for persons currently younger than 55 into a “premium support system” through which the government would pay private insurance companies directly for each enrollee. The resolution was adopted 235-193. [Vote 277, 4/15/11]
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