FACT CHECK: The Desperate Senatorial Campaign Committee Lies About Toomey’s Record to Hide Sestak’s Record of Destroying Jobs 

Allentown – Once again, the desperate Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is so concerned about Pat Toomey’s consistent lead in the Senate race, it is distorting Pat Toomey’s positions in order to hide Congressman Sestak’s disastrous record of destroying Pennsylvania jobs.  The DSCC is so desperate that they are even resorting to attacking Pat Toomey for supporting the same policies as President Bill Clinton!
 
The DSSC uses a liberal hack group to support its lie that Pat sent 2.4 million jobs to China, but numerous legitimate reports, President Clinton, and President Obama’s own administration have said just the opposite.  Pat’s support for trade has allowed Pennsylvania’s economy to grow and helped the thousands of Pennsylvania businesses and farms that depend on exporting their goods and services around the world.  President Bill Clinton signed the agreement to bring China into the WTO on October 10, 2000, and said: “If you believe in a future of greater prosperity for the American people, you certainly should be for this agreement” (DLC).
 
Nearly 12,700 businesses in Pennsylvania sell their products overseas.  Of these, 87% are small and medium-sized companies (U.S. Chamber of Commerce).  Pennsylvania’s exports to the world have increased from $19 billion to $35 billion over the 2000-2008 period.  Chemical manufactures exports; transportation equipment exports; primary metal manufactures exports; petroleum and coal exports; and plastic and rubber exports more than doubled over the same period (TradeStats Express, Accessed 02/16/10).  It is no coincidence that chemicals and primary metal products are Pennsylvania’s top two manufacturing sectors (National Association of Manufacturers, 2009).
 
“If Congressman Sestak had his way, we would have mass protectionism and a global trade war, imposing huge new costs on all of the Pennsylvania businesses that rely on exports,” Toomey Communications Director Nachama Soloveichik said.  “With policies like these, it is no surprise that so many of Pennsylvania’s small businesses, farmers, and manufacturers want nothing to do with Joe Sestak.”
 
“Instead of distorting Pat Toomey’s excellent record of creating jobs,” Soloveichik added, “the Desperate Senatorial Campaign Committee might want to take a look at Joe Sestak’s record of destroying jobs.  His votes for a cap-and-trade energy tax, $3.2 trillion in new deficit spending, and $600 billion in new health care taxes might explain why voters across Pennsylvania are rejecting Joe Sestak’s candidacy and embracing Pat Toomey’s vision for more jobs, less government.  There is only one candidate in this race that has been endorsed by the largest association of small businesses in the state – the National Federation of Independent Business – and that is Pat Toomey.” 
Pat’s Policies Have Broad Bipartisan Support
In the House of Representatives, the normal trade relations bill passed with the support of 164 Republicans and 73 Democrats (RC #228, 05/25/10).
In the Senate, the bill passed 83 – 15, with the support of Senators Biden, Boxer, Conrad, Daschle, Dodd, Dorgan, Durbin, Edwards, Feinstein, Kennedy, Kerry, Kohl, Lautenberg, Murray, Reed, Schumer, and Wyden (RC #251, 09/19/10). Pat’s Polices Have Created Jobs in Pennsylvania
Trade with China was a huge boon for Pennsylvania’s economy.  In 2008, Pennsylvania was the country’s 11th largest exporter.  From 2000 to 2008, Pennsylvania exports to China more than quadrupled from $276 million to $1.6 billion (TradeStats Express, Accessed 02/16/10).

Pennsylvania’s exports to the world have increased from $19 billion to $35 billion over the 2000-2008 period.  Chemical manufactures exports; transportation equipment exports; primary metal manufactures exports; petroleum and coal exports; and plastic and rubber exports more than doubled over the same period (TradeStats Express, Accessed 02/16/10).  It is no coincidence that chemicals and primary metal products are Pennsylvania’s top two manufacturing sectors (National Association of Manufacturers, 2009).
President Obama’s own U.S. Trade Representative, Ron Kirk, has admitted that China’s entry into the WTO has reaped rewards for the American economy: “Since joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, China has made many important economic reforms, removed trade barriers, and opened markets to U.S. exports.  This has created new opportunities for Americans, as manufactured goods exports to China have tripled. China’s strong recovery from the global recession has facilitated recent double digit growth in American export sectors from manufactured goods and chemical products to agricultural goods.  China is now America’s third largest export market for goods” (Office of the United States Trade Representative, June 2010).

In 2005, Pennsylvania-produced manufactured goods generated more than 205,000 jobs (U.S. Chamber of Commerce).
Nearly 12,700 businesses in Pennsylvania sell their products overseas.  Of these, 87% are small and medium-sized companies (U.S. Chamber of Commerce).
In 2007, foreign-controlled companies employed 261,500 workers in Pennsylvania, the fifth highest total among the 50 states.  28% of these jobs were in the manufacturing sector.  Foreign-controlled companies accounted for 11.2% of total manufacturing employment in Pennsylvania in 2007 (Trade.gov, January 2010).
Foreign investment in Pennsylvania was responsible for 5% of the state’s total private-industry employment in 2007 (Trade.gov, January 2010).
In 2005, agricultural exports were estimated at $1.1 billion, totaling 23% of agricultural revenue, supporting nearly 14,740 jobs both on and off the farm in food processing, storage, and transportation (U.S. Chamber of Commerce).
In 2007, 12,500 jobs in Pennsylvania were supported by tech exports (AeA, Press Release, 09/23/08).

Congressman Sestak’s Appalling Record on Job CreationSetak voted for a cap-and-trade energy bill (RC #477, 06/26/09) that would kill tens of thousands of Pennsylvania jobs.  44 Democrats voted against it, including 4 Pennsylvania Democrats.  Sestak even said the legislation didn’t go far enough.
Sestak: “I was disappointed in this bill because I thought it was eviscerated during the process too much.  I did vote for it however because it’s better than not having it done” (Netroots Nation, 08/14/09).
Sestak: “I pushed hard for the cap-and-trade bill.  The one the House passed should have been even more” (Senate Forum Urban Issues, 05/03/00).

According to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission: The Cap and Trade Bill will have a “profound adverse impact” on the Commonwealth.  It will also results in a net loss of as many as 66,000 jobs and a sizable hike in electric bills of residential consumers (Letter to PA Congressional Delegation, 05/07/09).
According to the Beacon Hill Institute, Pennsylvania will lose 47,549 jobs by 2020 and 480,852 by 2050 as a result of the cap-and-trade bill (The Beacon Hill Institute, June 2009).

According to projections by the Energy Information Administration and the nonpartisan CBO, the net effect of the cap-and-trade bill will likely be to slow future job growth (Factcheck.Org, 10/27/09).
Sestak voted for a government-run health care bill that would impose billions of dollars in taxes on small businesses (RC #165, 3/21/10).

The CBO said about the health care bill that: “A play-or-pay provision would reduce the hiring of low-wage workers, whose wages could not fall by the full cost of health insurance or a substantial play-or-pay if they were close to the minimum wage” (CBO, 07/13/09).
Middle-income taxpayers will be hit with $3.9 billion in new taxes in 2019 alone according to the Joint Committee on Taxation (The Hill, 04/12/10).
The President/CEO of the Greater Pocono Chamber of Commerce said the health care law “will be catastrophic to the business owner” (Pocono Record, 03/21/10).
The Pennsylvania chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business called the new health care law “devastating” and criticized the legislation for being “paid for on the backs of small business” (NFIB).
Medical equipment companies in Pennsylvania are being hit with a new tax because of the health care bill. (The Times Leader, 03/28/10, Morning Call, 03/26/10)
Sestak supported irresponsible bailouts at the expense of taxpayers on Main Street.
Sestak voted to bail out Wall Street (RC #681, 10/03/08).
Sestak voted to release the second round of bailout funds for Wall Street (RC #27, 01/22/09).
Sestak voted to bail out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (RC #519, 07/23/08).
Sestak is sponsoring The Home Ownership Vesting Plan Act of 2009 (HR 1356) that would force hardworking homeowners to bailout other people’s mortgages.
Sestak voted to bail out the auto companies (RC #690, 12/10/08).
Sestak cosponsored and is a current cosponsor of Card Check (HR 800, RC #118, 03/01/07) (HR 1409)
According to a study done by the Alliance to Save Main Street Jobs, the unionization of 1.5 million existing jobs under EFCA in year one would lead to the loss of 600,000 jobs by the following year (“An Empirical Assessment of the Employee Free Choice Act: The Economic Implications,” Alliance to Save Main Street Jobs, 03/05/09).
 
Pat Received High Ratings from Nonpartisan Groups Committed to Creating Jobs:
National Association of Manufacturers: 94%
Pat won the National Association of Manufacturers’ Award for Manufacturing Legislative Excellence every year he was in Congress.
National Federation of Independent Business: 97.6%Chamber of Commerce: 93%