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George Allen on Budget & Economy

Republican Senate Challenger


FactCheck: Vvoted against the Alaskan Bridge to Nowhere

Allen said: "When I was in the Senate, I was one of about a dozen who voted against that Bridge to Nowhere."

Allen has said before that he took a stand against the now infamous earmark for a $225 million bridge connecting the city of Ketchikan, Alaska to the Island of Gravina, which has 50 residents.

In July 2005, Allen voted for a $286.5 billion transportation bill that included money for the Bridge to Nowhere. But funding for the Alaska bridge came to less than one tenth of 1% of the overall cost of that overall highway bill, which passed by a 91-4 vote.

The bridge came up again later that year. Allen supported an amendment to another transportation appropriations bill that would redirect part of the funding for the Alaskan span to rebuild a hurricane-damaged bridge near New Orleans. The amendment failed by an 82-15 vote. We rated Allen's claim that he was among a small minority who voted against the Alaskan bridge True.

Source: PolitiFact.com 2012 Senate FactCheck: Virginia debate , Apr 30, 2012

No future debt-limit increases until spending is restrained

Allen said the country's economic and fiscal climate is different than it was when he voted for debt limit increases during his Senate term. "The credit-worthiness of America for the first time in our history has been downgraded. The annual deficits are now over a trillion dollars every single year. When I left the U.S. Senate, the annual deficit was about $160 billion." Allen said he would not support future debt-limit increases unless they come with "concrete ironclad spending restraints."
Source: The Virginian-Pilot? on 2012 Virginia Senate debate , Apr 29, 2012

Stimulus spending failed to create promised jobs

Radtke lambasted Allen during the debate for his Senate spending record. "When I left the Senate, the annual deficit was about $160 billion, on the course to getting to a balanced budget," he said afterward. "Talk about how much of spending is being borrowed, and the estimates are about 33 cents of every dollar is being borrowed. In 2006, it was 5.9 cents--an exponential increase in spending. This stimulus spending was promised to create all these jobs and has not."
Source: Washington Times on 2012 Virginia GOP primary Senate debate , Apr 28, 2012

Authored Balanced Budget Amendment plus lower taxes

George Allen’s record on tax relief is well known. As a Member of Congress, the National Taxpayers Union honored him as the “Most Fiscally Responsible” member of the Virginia Delegation. In Congress, Allen authored a Constitutional Amendment requiring a balanced federal budget, a measure that also included taxpayer protections against higher taxes. As Governor, he reduced taxes by more than $600 million, while increasing investment in education by a record $2 billion and producing balanced budgets.
Source: Press Release, “Tax Relief” , Apr 10, 2000

Voted YES on $40B in reduced federal overall spending.

Vote to pass a bill that reduces federal spending by $40 billion over five years by decreasing the amount of funds spent on Medicaid, Medicare, agriculture, employee pensions, conservation, and student loans. The bill also provides a down-payment toward hurricane recovery and reconstruction costs.
Reference: Work, Marriage, and Family Promotion Reconciliation Act; Bill S. 1932 ; vote number 2005-363 on Dec 21, 2005

Demand a Balanced Budget amendment.

Allen signed the Contract From America

The Contract from America, clause 3. Demand a Balanced Budget:

Begin the Constitutional amendment process to require a balanced budget with a two-thirds majority needed for any tax hike.

Source: The Contract From America 10-CFA03 on Jul 8, 2010

Limit federal spending growth to per-capita inflation rate.

Allen signed the Contract From America

The Contract from America, clause 6. End Runaway Government Spending:

Impose a statutory cap limiting the annual growth in total federal spending to the sum of the inflation rate plus the percentage of population growth.

Source: The Contract From America 10-CFA06 on Jul 8, 2010

Supports the Cut-Cap-and-Balance Pledge.

Allen signed the Cut-Cap-and-Balance Pledge to limit government

[The Cut-Cap-and-Balance Pledge is sponsored by a coalition of several hundred Tea Party, limited-government, and conservative organizations].

Despite our nation's staggering $14.4 trillion debt, there are many Members of the U.S. House and Senate who want to raise our nation's debt limit without making permanent reforms in our fiscal policies. We believe that this is a fiscally irresponsible position that would place America on the Road to Ruin. At the same time, we believe that the current debate over raising the debt limit provides a historic opportunity to focus public attention, and then public policy, on a path to a balanced budget and paying down our debt.

We believe that the "Cut, Cap, Balance" plan for substantial spending cuts in FY 2012, a statutory spending cap, and Congressional passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution is the minimum necessary precondition to raising the debt limit. The ultimate goal is to get us back to a point where increases in the debt limit are no longer necessary. If you agree, take the Cut, Cap, Balance Pledge!

    I pledge to urge my Senators and Member of the House of Representatives to oppose any debt limit increase unless all three of the following conditions have been met:
  1. Cut: Substantial cuts in spending that will reduce the deficit next year and thereafter.
  2. Cap: Enforceable spending caps that will put federal spending on a path to a balanced budget.
  3. Balance: Congressional passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution -- but only if it includes both a spending limitation and a super-majority for raising taxes, in addition to balancing revenues and expenses.
Source: Cut-Cap-and-Balance Pledge 12-CCB on Jan 1, 2012

Other candidates on Budget & Economy: George Allen on other issues:
VA Gubernatorial:
Bob McDonnell
VA Senatorial:
James Webb
Mark Warner
Tim Kaine

VA politicians

Retiring as of Jan. 2013:
AZ:Kyl(R)
CT:Lieberman(D)
HI:Akaka(D)
ME:Snowe(R)
ND:Conrad(D)
NE:Nelson(D)
NM:Bingaman(D)
TX:Hutchison(R)
VA:Webb(D)
WI:Kohl(D)

Senate elections Nov. 2012:
AZ:Flake(R) vs.Carmona(D)
CA:Feinstein(D) vs.Emken(R) vs.Lightfoot(L) vs.Taitz(R)
CT:McMahon(R) vs.Murphy(D) vs.Bysiewicz(D) vs.Shays(R)
DE:Carper(D) vs.Wade(R) vs.Pires(I)
FL:Nelson(D) vs.Mack(R) vs.LeMieux(R)
HI:Hirono(D) vs.Case(D) vs.Lingle(R) vs.Pirkowski(R)
IN:Lugar(R) vs.Mourdock(R) vs.Donnelly(D)
MA:Brown(R) vs.Warren(D)
MD:Cardin(D) vs.Bongino(R) vs.Sobhani(I)
ME:King(I) vs.Dill(D) vs.Summers(R)
MI:Stabenow(D) vs.Hoekstra(R) vs.Boman(L)
MN:Klobuchar(D) vs.Bills(R)
MO:McCaskill(D) vs.Akin(R)
MS:Wicker(R) vs.Gore(D)
MT:Tester(D) vs.Rehberg(R)
ND:Heitkamp(D) vs.Berg(R)
NE:Kerrey(D) vs.Fischer(R)
NJ:Menendez(D) vs.Kyrillos(R) vs.Diakos(I)
NM:Heinrich(D) vs.Wilson(R)
NV:Heller(R) vs.Berkley(D)
NY:Gillibrand(D) vs.Long(R) vs.Noren(I) vs.Clark(G)
OH:Brown(D) vs.Mandel(R)
PA:Casey(D) vs.Smith(R)
RI:Whitehouse(D) vs.Hinckley(R)
TN:Corker(R) vs.Clayton(D)
TX:Cruz(R) vs.Sadler(D) vs.Roland(L) vs.Dewhurst(R)
UT:Hatch(R) vs.Howell(D)
VA:Kaine(D) vs.Allen(R)
VT:Sanders(I) vs.MacGovern(R)
WA:Cantwell(D) vs.Baumgartner(R)
WI:Thompson(R) vs.Baldwin(D)
WV:Manchin(D) vs.Raese(R)
WY:Barrasso(R) vs.Chesnut(D) 		Abortion
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Contact info:
Campaign website:
www.georgeallen.com
Mailing Address:
2819 North Parham Road, Suite 210, Henrico, VA 23294
Phone:
804-726-2012





Page last updated: Oct 22, 2012