Steelman Questions Hulshof's Patriotism, Fitness For Office

RED-HOT RELEASE ROASTS HULSHOF ON MISSED VOTES

Sarah Steelman's campaign for Governor is criticizing rival Kenny Hulshof for missing Congressional votes on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and on bills related to gas prices.

Steelman's camp points to Hulshof missing a vote involving a $162 billion dollar emergency appropriations bill for Iraq and Afghanistan. They also point to two key votes that he missed impacting "record high gas prices Missourians are paying at the pump."

On May 13, Hulshof missed a vote on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Fill Suspension (HR 6022, Roll Call 307) and on May 20 he failed to show up for work to vote on the Gas Price Relief for Consumers Act (HR 6074, Roll Call 332), according to Steelman's campaign.

"Hulshof’s chronic absenteeism also raises questions about whether he is violating the United States Code in abandoning his post to attend fundraisers and hob knob with his Washington friends," reads the Steelman release.

The Steelman campaign included a copy of the code in its release:

Title 2, Chapter 3, Section 39 of the United States Code
says:


“The Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives
(upon certification by the Clerk of the House of Representatives) shall deduct
from the monthly payments (or other periodic payments authorized by law) of
each member or Delegate the amount of his salary for each day that he has
been absent from the House, unless such Member or Delegate assigns as the
reason for such absence the sickness of himself or of some member of his
family.”

"None of Hulshof’s 108 missed votes and counting appears to be due to illness. Hulshof’s lack of concern for troops on the battlefield and for the struggles Missourians are having paying for Washington D.C.’s out-of-control spending also raises questions about his fitness for Missouri’s top elected office. Missouri taxpayers pay Hulshof more than $169,000 a year," reads the release.


Hulshof has repeatedly answered the missed vote question, and has said that missing votes is part of the sacrifice he is having to make as a candidate for Governor. He has said it is not in his work ethic to miss any votes, but that it is a real factor in trying to run for a statewide office while trying to maintain another one.

CLICK ABOVE TO SEE A CLIP OF HULSHOF RESPONDING TO THE MISSED VOTE QUESTION AT A RECENT PRESS CONFERENCE IN SPRINGFIELD