Rehberg's Hypocrisy Continues

Posted Aug 10, 2010

Congressman Denny Rehberg has announced his decision to join the Tea Party caucus in Washington, aligning himself with Congressional laughingstock Michelle Bachman, the John Birch Society, and other members of Congress who are eager to avoid the hard work of governing while claiming to be populist Washington outsiders.  However, Rehberg even fails the criteria to be a Tea Party member.

After eight years of voting YES to the budget-busting extravagances of the Bush/Cheney regime, including two wars, corporate giveaways and enormous tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, Rehberg only now talks of reducing the national debt.  In a smoke-and-mirrors display, Rehberg recently issued multiple press releases and spoke at town hall meetings about his pledge to swear off earmarks.  The fact is, as the conservative group Citizens Against Government Waste announced this week, Rehberg is the nation's No. 1 proponent of government waste.  He has requested more earmarks than anyone in the House of Representatives—88 earmarks totaling $100,514,200 in 2010 alone. 

The No. 1 Big Pork Spender in the nation is Montana’s representative in Congress.  In one earmark last year he requested $324 million for six luxury jets to whisk members of Congress around the world on junkets.  These were fancy Gulfstream jets with plush leather interior and gold fixtures in the bathrooms. That may seem like a reasonable use of taxpayer money to Denny Rehberg, one of the wealthiest members of Congress, but that’s not the way you balance a budget.

Congressman Rehberg is no fiscal conservative. He has abandoned the principles of traditional conservatism held dear by moderate Republicans and Independents.  This latest leap to the Tea Party caucus can’t mask his résumé as a big spending Washington insider.

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