Opposed 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 Res 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. Pennsylvania has lost 222,000 manufacturing jobs since the passage of NAFTA and CAFTA. [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 January to September 2005. This more than doubled the amount of money he had 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]
Accepted more than $100,000 in campaign contributions from oil companies. [Center for Responsive Politics]
Opposed raising the minimum wage 6 times before finally supporting an increase. [HR 2206, Vote #333, 5/10/07; HR 1591, Vote #186, 3/23/07; HR 2389, Vote #382, 7/19/06; HR 2990, Vote #364, 7/12/06; HR 4411, Vote #360, 7/11/06; HR 5672, Vote #319, 6/27/06]
Opposed pension reform that would protect worker benefits and hold CEOs accountable [HR 2830, Vote #634, 12/15/05]...
...and voted FOR pension legislation that would have increased the pension deficit and failed to ensure fair treatment between workers and executives. [The New York Times, 3/19/06; HR 2830, Vote #635, 12/15/05]
Taxpayers in Gerlach’s Congressional District will pay $316.5 million for tax cuts for the richest 10% in fiscal year 2009. For the same amount of money, we could provide 5,016 elementary school teachers for one year. [National Priorities Project]
Jim Gerlach believes that the Bush Tax Cuts have benefited the economy and helped "turn it around," saying that they have aided the stock market, created new jobs, and encouraged high rates of home ownership. The truth: The stock market continues to plunge, unemployment is the highest it’s been in five years, and nearly 304,000 homes received foreclosure filings in August 2008 alone. [Associated Press 10/21/06, Reading Eagle 10/22/06]
Voted against legislation that provided critical funding for Veterans’ health care, including funds to enhance medical services for active duty forces, mobilized personnel and their family members, and $1.7 billion for Veterans’ health care priorities including maintenance at VA hospitals like Walter Reed. [HR 1591, #186, 3/23/07]
Accepted more than $250,000 from Pharmaceutical Companies. [opensecrets.org]
Sided with Bush to defend torture and opposed banning harsh interrogation methods. [HR 2082, Vote #117, 12/8/05; HR 2082, Vote #1160, 12/13/07]
Rubber-stamp for the Bush Administration’s failed Iraq Policy. Voted 100% of the time with Bush on Iraq. [Congressional Quarterly, Presidential Vote Support Analysis]
He supports Bush’s offshore drilling plan. [The Daily Local, 6/22/08]
Made enrollment in SCHIP more difficult, preventing many poor children from receiving the coverage they require. [Newport News Daily Press, 10/28/07; HR 3963, Vote #1008, 10/25/07]
Voted for hard-lined immigration bill that would make charitable organizations (including churches and social service agencies) felons under the law. [HR 4437, Vote #661, 12/16/05]
Although Jim Gerlach calls himself an “independent,” he has voted party-line 84% of the time. [The Washington Post, Votes Database]
Voted to cut education initiatives by millions of dollars. The $69 million cut to Head Start resulted in 9,500 children being expelled from Head Start classrooms. [Senate Committee on Appropriations Minority Staff, 12/19/05]
Voted to increase interest rates on disaster loans, forcing disaster victims to shoulder additional costs while struggling to rebuild. [HR 4939, Vote #62, 3/16/06]
After returning from Iraq and Afghanistan in 2006, Gerlach said that "troop morale is high, capturing Osama bin Laden is only a matter of time, and - generals on the ground insist - 2006 is a watershed year for the war on terrorism." The truth: American troops are still in Iraq and Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden is still at large. [USA Today, 6/19/06]
34. 35. He voted 3 times to weaken House ethics rules, allow lobbyists to wine and dine members, and opposed closing the lucrative “Revolving Door” between Lobbying & Lawmakers. [HRes 5, Vote #6, 1/04/05; HRes 5, Vote #4, 1/07/03; HRes 5, Vote #5, 1/04/05]
Opposed accountability in Iraq by voting against benchmarks for success for America and for the Iraqis. [HR 2601, Menendez motion, Vote #398, 7/20/05; HR 2206, Vote #333, 5/10/07]
Opposed extending student aid to the middle class and to non-English speakers. [HR 5, Vote #31, 1/17/07; HR 3043, Vote #676, 7/19/07]
Opposed additional privacy protections for warrantless surveillance act and opposed banning warrantless wiretapping. [HR 5631, Vote #295, 6/20/06; HR 3773, Vote #1120, 11/15/07]
Opposed ending military families tax which penalizes over 50,000 survivors in military families, mainly widows. [HR 5122, Vote #144, 5/11/06]
Opposed a budget that would provide middle class tax relief and a budget surplus by 2012 without raising taxes. [SCR 21, Vote #377, 5/17/07]
In the 2008 election cycle, Jim Gerlach accepted more money from PACs than Individuals ($747,220 v. $714,357). [PolitickerPA.com]
Jim Gerlach has done nothing to address skyrocketing health care costs while corporate health care interests like Pfizer and Cigna rank among his Top 5 Contributors this cycle. [PolitickerPA.com]
Opposed increasing funding for local first responders. [HR 5541, Vote #218, 5/25/06]
Opposed prescription drug reimportation that would lower prescription drug costs for Americans. [HR 3963, Vote #1008, 10/25/07]
Despite saying that their “record profits drive [him] nuts,” Gerlach voted repeatedly for tax giveaways to oil companies. [CNN, The Situation Room, 4/21/06] [HR 5351, Vote #78, #80, #81, and #83 2/27/08; HR 2776, Vote #835, 8/4/07; HR 4297, Vote #109, 4/27/06; HR 5254, Vote #232, 6/7/06]
Voted for $56 billion in tax cuts on Capitol Gains and Dividends. 40% of the benefits would go to households with incomes over $1 million. [HR 4297, Vote #621, 12/8/05; Center for Budget & Policy Priorities, 11/29/05]
Voted against an AMT patch with responsible pay-go rules that prevented tax increases on the middle class. [HR 3996, Vote #1081, 11/9/07]
Opposed bill to prevent wage discrimination by not allowing employees to file suit for pay inequity in the workplace. [HR 2831, Vote #768, 7/31/07]
Voted to weaken mental health parity 3 times by not requiring group health plans to provide equitable coverage for treatment of mental and physical illnesses. [HR 1424, Vote #100, 3/5/08; HR 1424, Vote #96, 3/5/08; HR 1424, Vote #94, 3/5/08]
Opposed Medicare Prescription Drug Negotiation, which would include discounts, rebates and price concessions to help seniors afford their prescription drugs. [HR 4, Vote #23, 1/12/07]
Learn More: Jim Gerlach