Campaign 2010

Jun 13, 2011

Charlie Bass Falsely Claims He Would Support Ending Taxpayer Giveaways to Oil and Gas Companies

Today on CNN’s State of the Union, Congressman Charlie Bass (NH-02) claimed he would consider voting to end taxpayer subsidies to Big Oil, saying, “I’m willing to vote to end that subsidy.”

 

In reality, Bass and the Grand Oil Party (GOP) have repeatedly supported protecting Big Oil companies making record profits, even voting to end Medicare for New Hampshire seniors to protect Big Oil.

 

FACT CHECK

 

Charlie Bass Voted to Protect Tax Breaks for Big Oil companies

 

  • In March 2011, Charlie Bass voted against prohibiting any major integrated oil company from being eligible for any tax benefit or relief under related provisions of the tax code.” [HJRes 44, Vote #153, 3/1/11; CQ Floor Votes]

 

  • In 2006, Charlie Bass voted against removing subsidies and close loopholes for large integrated oil companies, so that big oil companies would pay their fair share of taxes. [HR4297, Vote #109, 4/27/06; CQ Floor Votes]

 

  • In 2005, Charlie Bass voted for approximately $85 billion worth of subsidies and tax breaks for most forms of energy – including oil and gas, “clean coal,” ethanol, electricity, and solar and wind power. [Washington Post, 7/30/05; HR 6, Vote #445, 7/28/05]

 

  • In 2005, Charlie Bass voted for $8 billion in tax breaks to energy producers and billions of dollars more in direct federal aid, while doing nothing to lower gas prices and giving short shrift to energy efficiency and renewable fuels. The bill included $2 billion in royalty relief to the oil and gas industry over 10 years for research on ways to recover more oil and gas from the Gulf of Mexico. [New York Times, 4/22/05; Sacramento Bee, 4/22/05; Boston Globe, 4/22/05; HR6, Vote #132, 4/21/05]

 

  • Charlie Bass voted against repealing key taxpayer funded subsidies for oil and gas companies. [H Res 245, Vote #293, 5/5/11; The Hill, 5/4/11; CBS News, 5/4/11]

 

  • Bass Voted to End Medicare.  Bass voted for the House Republican budget to end Medicare and protect Big Oil. “The plan would essentially end Medicare, which now pays most of the health-care bills for 48 million elderly and disabled Americans, as a program that directly pays those bills,” wrote the Wall Street Journal. [H Con. Res. 34, Vote #277, 4/15/11; Wall Street Journal, 4/4/11]

 

  • Big Oil Profits Up 38 Percent. “Americans spent 28 percent more for gasoline during the first three months of 2011 than the same period in 2010. Meanwhile, the big five oil companies—BP, Chevron, Conoco Phillips, ExxonMobil, and Shell—made 38 percent more profit.” [Center for American Progress, 5/3/11]

 

  • Bass Has Taken Almost $140,000 from Oil and Gas Industry. Bass has taken $138,910 in contributions from the oil and gas industry. [opensecrets.org, accessed 6/12/11]

 

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