Ties between Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Wichita, and Wichita-based Koch Industries were outlined in a Washington Post article today. It noted that Pompeo received more donations from Koch Industries and its employees — $80,000 — than any other candidate in 2010. He also benefited from spending by Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity, and his chief of staff is a former Koch Industries attorney. Two of Pompeo’s first actions as a congressman — eliminating funding for a database of consumer complaints about unsafe products and for an Environmental Protection Agency registry of greenhouse-gas polluters — were top legislative priorities of Koch Industries. “I’m sure he would vigorously dispute this, but it’s hard not to characterize him as the congressman from Koch,” said Burdett Loomis, a University of Kansas political science professor. Pompeo does dispute that, saying that he does not know Charles and David Koch well, that he does not consult with them on legislation, and that his belief in limited government is widely held in south-central Kansas. Update: Koch Industries spokeswoman Melissa Cohlmia e-mailed The Eagle with this statement: “According to opensecrets.org, contributions coming from Koch total $79,500 and this represents 3.5 percent of the total money raised by Congressman Pompeo (which was $2.241 million). Also pertinent is that Koch has a significant number of employees — about 2,300 — who live and work in the 4th District which is represented by Mike. Finally, please be advised that ‘eliminating funding for a database of consumer complaints about unsafe products and for an Environmental Protection Agency registry of greenhouse-gas polluters’ was not a top legislative priority of Koch Industries.”
Here’s one thing on which Republicans and Democrats agree: Large majorities of both think that a partial shutdown of the federal government would be a bad thing, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Congress approved a stopgap bill last week that keeps the government funded until April 8. Not surprisingly, the sides disagree on who is to blame for the ongoing standoff, as 89 percent of Democrats say Republicans in Congress are not doing enough to strike a deal with the Obama administration and 81 percent of Republicans blame President Obama. Related to the economy, 46 percent of those surveyed put more faith in the president while 34 percent trust congressional Republicans. Obama also has a 12-point lead on the question of who better understands the economic problems people face, and a 9-point edge on dealing with the deficit, the Washington Post reported.
With Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on hand to give the Democratic speech at the recent Gridiron Club dinner in Washington, D.C., the cast of journalists performed a “Wizard of Oz” skit depicting the former Kansas governor as Dorothy with lyrics such as: “Somewhere over the rainbow/Mandates lay./We made sure they won’t start till/After Election Day.” During Sebelius’ remarks, she quipped about the evening’s Republican speaker, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels: “I’m thrilled to be here with Mitch Daniels. We have a lot in common. We’ve both been Midwestern governors. We’ve both been Cabinet secretaries. And neither of us is going to be president in 2012. We’re also both part of the same lawsuit. This is true: In what has to be a Gridiron first, one speaker is suing the other. Mitch is suing me over the health care law. I guess tort reform can wait.”
Ties between Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Wichita, and Wichita-based Koch Industries were outlined in a Washington Post article today. It noted that Pompeo received more donations from Koch Industries and its employees — $80,000 — than any other candidate in 2010. He also benefited from spending by Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity, and his chief of staff is a former Koch Industries attorney. Two of Pompeo’s first actions as a congressman — eliminating funding for a database of consumer complaints about unsafe products and for an Environmental Protection Agency registry of greenhouse-gas polluters — were top legislative priorities of Koch Industries. “I’m sure he would vigorously dispute this, but it’s hard not to characterize him as the congressman from Koch,” said Burdett Loomis, a University of Kansas political science professor. Pompeo does dispute that, saying that he does not know Charles and David Koch well, that he does not consult with them on legislation, and that his belief in limited government is widely held in south-central Kansas. Update: Koch Industries spokeswoman Melissa Cohlmia e-mailed The Eagle with this statement: “According to opensecrets.org, contributions coming from Koch total $79,500 and this represents 3.5 percent of the total money raised by Congressman Pompeo (which was $2.241 million). Also pertinent is that Koch has a significant number of employees — about 2,300 — who live and work in the 4th District which is represented by Mike. Finally, please be advised that ‘eliminating funding for a database of consumer complaints about unsafe products and for an Environmental Protection Agency registry of greenhouse-gas polluters’ was not a top legislative priority of Koch Industries.”
