Rep. Rod Blum likes to say his first priority is to “drain the swamp” and reduce perks for elected officials that make them out of touch with average Americans, but Blum wasn’t complaining when he took a PAC-funded trip to Florida. Blum recently made headlines for his posh vacation to Palm Beach – a trip funded by the ultra-conservative special interest group Club for Growth.
According to the story, the Club for Growth spent thousands of dollars to host Blum, along with other Republicans, for a weekend policy conference at an oceanfront resort that promises “unapologetic luxury, seaside glamour and world-class service.” It’s no wonder Rod Blum has been a rubber stamp for the ultra-right conservative group’s agenda in Washington and their efforts to raise premiums and reduce care for Iowa families.
“Rod Blum likes to rail against perks that make politicians ‘out-of-touch,’ yet he’s cozied up to Washington special interests that pick up the tab for his luxury vacations,” said DCCC spokeswoman Rachel Irwin. “This is just another example of Rod Blum’s hypocrisy and broken promises on ‘draining the swamp’ while he continues to be rewarded by special interests for his disastrous record in Washington.”
ICYMI: Blum’s hypocrisy on ‘draining the swamp.’
- Rod Blum’s broken salary pledge: as a candidate, Blum pledged to donate half of his Congressional salary, but as a member of Congress, he has refused to do so – even laughing glibly at one reporter and seemingly snapping at another when asked about the pledge.
- Rod Blum’s broken pledge on term limits: Blum promised to limit himself to three terms served, then reneged on his promise to voters saying, “I’m not going to self-term-limit myself.”
- Rod Blum rails against ‘wasteful government spending,’ yet spends hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on self-promotional mailings: According to the Cedar Rapids Gazette, “U.S. Rep Rod Blum, a Dubuque Republican in his first term leading Iowa’s Democratic-leaning 1st District, spent more money on mass mailings and mass communications in 2015 than any other U.S. representative and $400,000 more than Iowa’s three other delegates combined.”