Reality Check

Online Ad Attacks Udall As 'Boulder Liberal'

WASHINGTON (CBS4) ― The new Internet ad by the National Republican Senatorial Committee attacks Colorado Congressman and Senate candidate Mark Udall, painting him as a crazed, liberal tax hiker from Boulder. CBS4's Raj Chohan gives the ad a Reality Check.

See the entire ad

AD: HAVING UDALL IN CONGRESS IS TAXING IN 1999 HE VOTED FOR HIGHER TAXES BY 792 BILLION DOLLARS

Reality Check Begins

The claim is false. He didn't vote to raise taxes, he voted against a tax cut passed by a Republican Congress and vetoed by President Clinton. While critics say Udall's vote had the same effect as supporting higher taxes, the fact remains, Udall voted to maintain the status quo, which is not the same as voting for a tax hike.

Sourcing:

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to reduce individual income tax rates, to provide marriage penalty relief, to reduce taxes on savings and investments, to provide estate and gift tax relief, to provide incentives for education savings and health care, and for other purposes.

H.R. 2488

Versions of H.r. 2488

FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 379 8/5/99


Taxpayer Refund and Relief Act of 1999 (HR 2488) Will Increase Retirement Security For Lower-Income And Women Workers


September 13, 1999 How Congress's Tax Bill Would Affect Families, The Economy, and The Federal Budget

Veto Message for H.R. 2488

Reality Check Continues

The ad also fails to mention that Udall voted for two modest tax cut measures offered by Democrats as an alternative to the Republican bill. Those measures never had any chance of passing and predictably failed along party lines.

Sourcing:

Rangel Amendment

Democratic Substitute

Reality Check Continues

AD: OVER 1.3 TRILLION IN 2001 AND 350 BILLION IN 2003 HIGHER TAXES ON MORE THAN 1.7 MILLION COLORADANS

The claim that Udall voted against those tax relief measures is true. Udall thought it was too much tax relief going to the wealthy. But he did agree with some of it, and voted for a democratically sponsored amendment that offered a much more scaled back tax cut. (Source: Udall Chief of Staff Alan Salazar). Again the measure had no chance of passing and predictably failed.

Additional Sourcing:

Here's what Udall voted against:

Economic Growth and Reconciliation Act of 2001

CBO testimony: the budget and economic outlook, fiscal years 2003-2012 (confirms that Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 was a 1.3 billion dollar tax cut)

FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 149: Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act

H.R. 1836

H.R. 2 Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 As cleared by the Congress on May 23, 2003

Excerpts from above report:

The Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) and CBO estimate that H.R. 2 would increase budget deficits by $60.8 billion in 2003, by $342.9 billion over the 2003-2008 period, and by $349.7 billion over the 2003-2013 period.

JCT estimates that, together, the provisions contained in the act would decrease federal revenues by about $49 billion in 2003, by about $313 billion over the 2003-2008 period, and by about $320 billion over the 2003-2013 period.

Here's what Udall voted for:

Roll Call 117

Roll Call 118

Reality Check Continues:

AD: TAXING...UDALL VOTED FOR BUDGET THAT CALLS FOR A 393 BILLION DOLLAR TAX INCREASE

Udall for Voted yes on Congressional Budget for the U.S. Government for Fiscal Year 2008. The claim for higher taxes comes from the Democrats refusal to make the Bush tax cuts permanent. While some may be renewed or extended, others will almost certainly not. And if you have a tax break that eventually goes away, well that's a tax hike for you.(Source: Udall Chief of Staff Alan Salazar).

AD: BUT EVEN THAT WASN'T ENOUGH FOR MARK UDALL....HE VOTED FOR A BUDGET WITH AN EVEN BIGGER TAX HIKE...THE SAME DAY...700 BILLION DOLLARS. A TAX INCREASE SO OUTRAGEOUS...HE WAS THE ONLY COLORADAN IN CONGRESS TO VOTE FOR IT.

The claim is true. But here's the explanation. Udall says he accidentally voted for the alternative budget offered by the Congressional Black Caucus. He says he didn't intend to vote for that measure and corrected that mistake in the Congressional record a few weeks later. (Source: Udall Chief of Staff Alan Salazar).

Additional Sourcing:

Here is the explanation Udall recorded in the record.

PERSONAL EXPLANATION

HON. MARK UDALL OF COLORADO IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Madam Speaker, in reviewing the formal record of rollcall 209, the vote on the Kilpatrick substitute to H. Con. Res. 99, the budget resolution for fiscal year 2008, I find I am recorded as having voted "yes." However, I had intended to vote "no," and my recollection is that I did vote "no."

[CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, EXTENSION OF REMARKS PAGE E943, May 3, 2007]

Reality Check Continues:

Ad: WHEN IT COMES TO RAISING TAXES..MARK UDALL STANDS ALONE.

Not exactly. If you give the Congressman a mulligan for his Congressional Black Caucus budget vote, Udall's tax record is typical of many Democrats who opposed the Bush Administration tax cuts.

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