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Rob Portman on Budget & Economy

Republican Jr Senator; previously Representative (OH-2)

 


Budget director for President George W. Bush

Fisher said Portman is responsible for the national recession due to his policies as budget director for former President George W. Bush. Portman says Fisher was in charge of job creation in Columbus when Ohio lost 400,000 jobs.

A big moment came when Fisher evoked the name of legendary Buckeye coach Woody Hayes when talking about saving jobs at plants like Cooper Tire in Findlay. "It means that we're going down that field, just like Woody Hayes did. Three yards and a cloud of dust, and we are not giving up," he said.

Portman responded by saying, "I think it's an insult to Woody Hayes' incredible record at Ohio State to somehow compare him to what's happening in Ohio the last four years. It hasn't been a successful game. We've been losing the game."

Source: WTOL-11 coverage of 2010 Ohio Senate debate , Oct 5, 2010

Voted YES on restricting bankruptcy rules.

Vote to pass the bill that would require debtors who are able to pay back $10,000 or 25 percent of their debts over five years to file under Chapter 13, rather then seeking to discharge their debts under Chapter 7. Chapter 13, calls for a reorganization of debts under a repayment plan. A Debtor would be restricted, in this bill, to a total exemption of $125,000 in home equity for residences bought within 40 months of a bankruptcy filing. The bill also would establish permanent and retroactive Chapter 12 bankruptcy relief for farmers.
Reference: Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act; Bill S 1920 ; vote number 2004-10 on Jan 28, 2004

Allow $3 on 1040 form to pay off National Debt.

Portman co-sponsored allowing $3 on 1040 form to pay off National Debt

OFFICIAL CONGRESSIONAL SUMMARY: Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit an individual to designate three dollars on his or her income tax return (six dollars on a joint return) to be used to reduce the public debt of the United States.

SPONSOR'S INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT: Pres. Eisenhower apparently once said that he believed that there could be no surplus as long as our Nation was in debt. I come from that school of thought, and yet that is not exactly where we are right now in Washington.

Where we are right now is debating whether or not 90 percent or 50 percent, or some number in between, of these projected future surpluses should be allocated to the debt. What struck me is the fact that really more than just the Congress should be involved in that debate. It is for that reason that I introduce today the Taxpayers' Choice Debt Reduction Act.

What this bill would do would be to simply take the 1040, the tax return as we now know it. And right now, we can send $3 to the presidential campaign. This would create another box wherein we could send 3 bucks to debt reduction. That is not enough money to change our national debt, but it is enough money to make a small step in an important debate that we all ought to be a part of.

LEGISLATIVE OUTCOME: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means; never called for a House vote.

Source: Taxpayers' Choice Debt Reduction Act (H.R.5349) 00-HR5349 on Sep 29, 2000

Opposes the stimulus bill.

Portman opposes the F2A survey question on the economic stimulus

Faith2Action.org is "the nation's largest network of pro-family groups." They provide election resources for each state, including Voter Guides and Congressional Scorecards excerpted here. The Faith2Action survey summarizes candidate stances on the following topic: 'American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the stimulus bill) '

Source: Faith2Action Survey 10-FF-q11 on Sep 19, 2010

Audit the Federal Reserve & its actions on mortgage loans.

Portman co-sponsored Federal Reserve Transparency Act

The Federal Reserve Transparency Act directs: