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Yesterday, a report in the American Independent found that although multi-millionaire Mike Erickson (OR-06) continues to chastise the government for “reckless” relief spending, Erickson privately accepted more than $150,000 to keep his business afloat.
The article reveals that while Erickson “has spent much of his campaign complaining about the ‘out-of-control’ federal budget,” he privately “accepted more than $150,000 in federal pandemic relief funds before demanding “less government spending.”
The report also points out Erickson’s staunch opposition to the Inflation Reduction Act, which “invested $369 billion in energy and climate change infrastructure while lowering the nation’s budget deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars.”
DCCC Spokesperson Teddy Lake:
“Mike Erickson’s hypocrisy truly knows no bounds. He believes he’s entitled to support he wouldn’t afford to others – and as a representative, he’d continue to serve himself before Oregonians.”
Read more below:
American Independent: Millionaire House candidate blasts federal relief, but took $154,000 pandemic bailout
By Josh Israel | October 25, 2022
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Mike Erickson, the Republican nominee for Oregon’s 6th Congressional District, has spent much of his campaign complaining about the “out-of-control” federal budget. But as CEO of a transportation management business, he accepted more than $150,000 in federal pandemic relief funds before demanding “less government spending.”
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“Our nation debt [sic] has surpassed $31 trillion,” he wrote in a Facebook post on Oct. 21. “Instead of electing more leaders who will put us further into debt, we need to elect more fiscal conservatives who will fix our economy and stop the reckless tax-and-spend schemes.”
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In a post in August, Erickson wrote: “In these tough financial times, one of my top priorities is bringing fiscal responsibility back to the halls of Congress. The Left’s out-of-control spending has been detrimental to Oregon families, and I’m looking to restore fiscal sanity and deliver economic relief.”
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“Poor leadership in DC has led to out-of-control government spending and sky-high inflation rates,” he tweeted in April. “These actions are hurting families and devastating small businesses — the heart of our economy in OR. As your Congressman, I will lead us back to prosperity and unity.”
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In August he attacked President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive some student loan debt for individuals making less than $125,000, calling it a “bailout” and objecting, “With a possible cost of nearly $1 trillion, Biden’s solution does nothing to try to lower the actual cost of tuition.”
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According to a ProPublica database, Erickson’s company took a $154,000 PPP loan in April 2020 to support its nine-member staff. The entire amount, plus $2,122 in interest, was forgiven by the government.
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Erickson’s 2022 personal financial disclosure statement indicates that his own annual salary for 2021 and 2022 was $250,000. He reported a net worth of at least $32 million, including a boat worth more than $1 million and a rental property business worth more than $25 million.
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Erickson is also one of a number of Republican figures who say they oppose abortion rights but have allegedly paid for abortions. In 2008, during an unsuccessful campaign for Congress, he admitted to giving an ex-girlfriend $300 and driving her to a doctor’s office, though he denied knowing the money was to pay for an abortion.
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