American Chemistry Council Airs Ads Thanking Roskam for Things He Hasn’t Done

Downers Grove, IL (July 5, 2018) – A television ad airing in the Sixth Congressional District and paid for by Roskam’s big oil supporters at the American Chemistry Council mistakenly thanks Peter Roskam (R-Wheaton), for things he hasn’t done. Sixth District congressional candidate Sean Casten said the following:

“Donald Trump has set the new standard for taking credit for things he hasn’t done, and this new ad borrows from Trump’s playbook by thanking Peter Roskam for doing the exact opposite of what he actually did,” said Casten. “This ad heralds Peter Roskam for his work on taxes and health care, but in reality, Peter Roskam cut taxes for big corporations by raising taxes and premiums on the middle class, and voted to take away health care for millions of Americans – 34,000 of his own constituents.”

“As a scientist, I make decisions based on facts, not politics,” continued Casten. “I am running for Congress because the 6th District needs an independent check on a President who doesn’t believe in facts, and I trust the voters will see through these misleading ads about Peter Roskam’s record.”

The American Chemistry Council ad (available here) makes multiple false claims about Peter Roskam’s work on taxes and health care. The ad follows Peter Roskam’s own recent online ad that lies about Sean Casten and Roskam’s positions on healthcare – the Casten campaign’s original response can be found here.

False: “Instrumental in cutting taxes for the middle-class.”

Fact: Peter Roskam is Raising Middle Class Taxes. 83 percent of the benefits in Peter Roskam’s tax bill went to corporations and the wealthiest one percent, while its $10,000 annual cap on state and local tax deductions will force thousands of middle-class families to pay more.

False: “Fixing the broken tax code so manufacturers and businesses will reinvest in American Manufacturing and Workers.”

Fact: Peter Roskam Is Paying Out Corporations at Workers’ Expense. Rather than reinvesting in workers, corporations have used their tax windfall to buy back stock and increase dividends. A recent analysis by American Prospect magazine found that only nine percent of Roskam’s billions in corporate tax cuts have actually gone to workers.[1]

False: “Working to update our health care system to make it more accessible and affordable for everyone.”

Fact: Peter Roskam Is Cutting Health Care, Raising Premiums. Voted to repeal all or part of the Affordable Care Act 60 times, and voted for Paul Ryan’s bill which would have left 23 million Americans – including more than 30,000 6th District residents – without health care and raised premiums 20%.

[1] The Top Ten Fallacies About the New Trump-GOP Tax Act; June 22, 2018; http://prospect.org/article/top-ten-fallacies-about-new-trump-gop-tax-act