Cheri Bustos is the incumbent Congresswoman in Illinois 17th Congressional District.
1. Bustos Broke Her Promise To Cut 10 Percent Of Her Congressional Salary
Cheri Bustos promised in a 2012 editorial board meeting that she would voluntarily give up 10 percent of her congressional salary. But then after the audio of this promise resurfaced in August 2014, Bustos dodged reporters’ questions, then later claimed she misspoke and tried to walk back the promise. Eric Zorn, a columnist at the Chicago Tribune where Bustos originally made the promise said, “This was a pledge and one she must keep. Donate to charity, whatever, but if I were a voter in that district I’d consider this dodge unacceptable.”
2. Bustos’ Rhetoric On Trade Has Been Called An “Absolute Abomination” By One Of The Biggest Employers In The District
Cheri Bustos says she wants to expand the manufacturing base in her district. So why is she opposing policies that would help the biggest manufacturers in her district?
The biggest manufacturers in her district, like John Deere think free trade is “a real positive,” and Caterpillar says 80 percent of its jobs depend on trade. But Bustos opposes free trade agreements, and called NAFTA a “failed model.”
Bustos’ anti-trade rhetoric got so bad in 2012 that the CEO of Peoria-based Caterpillar called Bustos’ rhetoric “an absolute abomination.”
3. Bustos Flip-Flopped On Raising The Debt Ceiling
During the 2012 campaign, Bustos attacked her opponent for voting to raise the debt ceiling, but wouldn’t answer whether she would. Bustos said her opponent’s vote to raise the debt ceiling was “dangerous and irresponsible.”
But Bustos voted for an extension of the debt limit in her first month in congress, and now says the debt ceiling “is not something that we can mess with” and that “nothing is worth defaulting on paying our bills.”
So will Bustos admit her opponent had it right all along?
4. Bustos Claimed She Divested From Mutual Fund Connected To Outsourcing Seven Months Before She Actually Did
At an October 2012 debate, Bustos told voters that she had divested from a mutual fund which had invested in the Hong Kong supply chain company Li & Fung. But records show that she did not actually divest from the fund until May 2013.
5. Bustos Thinks We All Should Just “Move On” From Talking About ObamaCare.
Bustos thinks it’s time to “move on” from talking about ObamaCare.
She wants to “move on” from trying to repeal the law that is increasing costs for manufacturers in the 17th district like Caterpillar and John Deere, and that’s forcing business owners to make some employees part-time workers to control costs.
She wants to “move on” from talking about the failure of the ObamaCare rollout.
Bustos wants to “move on” from being asked about her thoughts on ObamaCare.
6. 88% – The Percentage Of The Time Bustos Votes With Her Party
In 2012, Bustos criticized her opponent for voting with his party 92 percent of the time saying “I think that shows that there’s not a whole lot of willingness to go against his party.”
But in 2013, Bustos voted with her party 88 percent of the time. Bustos even voted for the ultra-liberal Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House, and has voted with the California liberal 77 percent of the time.
7. “…” – Bustos’ Non-Response When Asked If She Would Have Voted For ObamaCare If She Had Been In Congress
Bustos has been asked if she would vote for ObamaCare if she had been in Congress at the time.
It’s a fair question. Bustos voted to shutdown the Federal Government rather than defund the law. Her “close ally and mentor, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., was an enthusiastic backer of the law,” and Bustos herself has said it’s time to “move on” from the whole debate.
But Bustos refused to answer the question:
“In a telephone conference with reporters Wednesday, Bustos declined to answer Sauk Valley Media’s question about whether she would have voted for Obamacare – yes or no. She didn’t answer ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ though she said she had voted to correct problems in the law since taking office this year.”
8. EPA – Bustos Voted To Let The EPA Regulate Without The Oversight Of Congress Or The Department of Energy
Bustos voted against the REINS act, which would have put EPA regulations that cost over $100 million under Congressional oversight. Bustos again voted against putting move oversight on the EPA when she voted against the Energy Consumers Relief Act, which would have added oversight to the EPA before the agency implements regulations that could cost over $1 billion.