Three Questions for Congressman Neumann

MEMO
TO: Members of the Press
From: Keith Gilkes, Campaign Manager for Scott Walker



Congressman Neumann has continued to use $4 million of his personal wealth to distance himself from his votes in Washington.  During the past year, Neumann has received very little scrutiny on his rhetoric versus the reality. 



Below are three questions on the truth about Neumann’s rhetoric. 



#1 – Congressman Neumann has used his millions to say he is against big government spending.  But in 1998, Congressman Neumann joined Nancy Pelosi in supporting a bill filled with $9 billion in pork barrel spending.  The bill included the first funds Congress authorized for the "Bridge to Nowhere" and a highway through Canada.  When questioned Sunday on why he supported a bill that Jim Sensenbrenner called "pork-barreling at its worst,” what was Neumann’s defense?  He said that he voted for the $9 billion pork bill because ‘many other Republicans did too.’



#2 – Congressman Neumann has spent his millions saying he is for tax cuts. While in Congress, Neumann joined Nancy Pelosi, Tom Barrett, Dave Obey, and others in voting against an $80 billion tax cut, HR 4579, the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1998.  This would have given relief for an estimated 1.5 million Wisconsin households by ending the marriage penalty and cutting taxes paid on dividend savings. This vote was denounced by the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, Rush Limbaugh, Robert Novak and Jack Kemp.

#3 – Congressman Neumann has spent millions saying he wants to run Wisconsin like a business.  But his business practices reveal he has been making millions by breaking contracts, hiding his assets, and using families and customers for personal gain. It was previously reported that Neumann had dodged paying taxes after shifting around properties owned by his various businesses, and even one of his campaign workers had to threaten Neumannwith a lawsuit to get paid.