Let’s take a look at Jim Gerlach’s voting record and who sends him money. One thing that I noticed is that Jim Gerlach has voted time and time again against Veterans. Shame on him.
Proposed increased funding for Veterans’ programs and billions of dollars for Veterans’ services. [H Con Res 312, Vote #141, 3/13/08; SCR 21, Vote #377, 5/17/07; H Con Red 99, Vote #212, 3/29/07]
He is anti-choice. He also opposed an amendment to promote family planning that would reduce abortions. The Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/06; HR 2764, Vote #533, 6/21/07]
Gerlach received the largest FEC fine in Pennsylvania history; He was forced to pay $120,000 for misreporting more than $2 million in campaign contributions. [The Philadelphia Inquirer, 4/12/07]
Voted to increase burden of pharmacy co-pays on military families. [HR 5112, Vote #139, 5/11/06]
Supported earmarked funds for catfish disease, grape research, and lobster research. [HR 2419, Vote #238, 5/1/08; HR 3161, Vote #809 and #810, 8/2/07; HR 3093, Vote #735, 7/26/07]
Gerlach on government waste: “I work everyday to eliminate…government waste in Washington.” But Gerlach’s taxpayer-funded mail was criticized for being “campaign literature,” and he was condemned for using “taxpayer money to support officeholders.” [The Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/8/06]
He voted against providing housing assistance, grants, and loans for working families suffering with foreclosure. [HR 5818, Vote #299, 5/8/08]
Voted against removing tax breaks for Big Oil. [HR 4297, Vote #121, 5/3/06]
Repeatedly voted against helping low income families heat their homes while energy costs were on the rise. [HR 3010, Vote #321, 6/24/05; HR 2863, Vote #668, 12/19/05; S 2320, Vote #66, 3/16/06; HR 4939, Vote #59, 3/16/06]
Taxpayers in Gerlach’s Congressional District will pay $1.8 billion for total Iraq war spending approved to date. For the same amount of money, we could provide 439,811 people with health care for one year. [National Priorities Project]
Voted to cut Medicaid and Medicare by billions of dollars, imposing large burdens on poor families and seniors. [S 1932, Vote #670, 12/19/05]
Despite the fact that Pennsylvania lost nearly 25% of its manufacturing jobs since NAFTA, Jim Gerlach voted for the passage of CAFTA in 2005. [HR 3045, Vote #443, 7/28/05; Public Citizen]
Before the CAFTA vote, Gerlach received an influx of Pro-CAFTA PAC money – $251,703 from Jan-Sept. 2005 – more than doubling the amount of money he received from such PACs in the past. [Public Citizen]
Voted to cut housing and emergency funds for hurricane victims, and opposed strengthening levees. [HR 1427, Vote #389, 5/22/07; HR 2206, Vote #333, 5/10/07; HR 4939, Melancon Amendment, Vote #51, 3/16/06]
Voted for a $70 billion tax cut bill that was called a “windfall for the rich” and designed to “benefit a sliver of the population that doesn’t need the help.” [HR 4297, Vote #135, 5/10/06; The Washington Post, 5/11/06]
Organizing for Change 