THE TRUTH: Crossroads GPS Latest Ad Fact Check Frontier AK 6/17/14

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1 THE TRUTH: Crossroads GPS Latest Ad Fact Check Frontier AK 6/17/14 Vivlamore: We re Frontier Supply Company. We ve been here 25 years and have about 60 employees. I don t think Washington has any idea what it takes to run a small business in Fairbanks, Alaska. Obamacare it means hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional healthcare costs. TEXT: Fairbanks Bill Vivlamore, President Frontier Supply Company Obamacare: Hundreds of Thousands in Additional Health Care Costs REALITY: Mark Begich Has Fought To Fix The Healthcare Law To Work For Alaska Small Businesses Begich Successfully Pushed To Repeal Burdensome 1099 Reporting Requirements For Small Business: Begich Supported The Repeal Of The Health Care Law s 1099 Requirement. Politico reported, Alaska Sen. Mark Begich says he would support repeal of the reform law's 1099 requirements (millions of new pieces of paper for millions of transactions) if the IRS doesn t make them "work for small businesses. [Politico, 7/13/10] July 2010: Begich Wrote A Letter To IRS Insisting They Reduce Paperwork Involved With 1099 Requirement Of Health Care Law. Politico wrote, Democrats have been reluctant to use the R word on any piece of the health law, even though many of them have a provision or two they could do without. We insist that the IRS develop ways in which small businesses can reduce expected paperwork from this requirement possibly through consolidating existing forms, for example, Begich wrote in a letter to the IRS commissioner, which Sens. Ben Nelson, Shaheen and Bayh also signed. [Politico, 7/13/10] Begich Introduced Proposal To Repeal Onerous 1099 Reporting Requirements For Small Business. According to the National Small Business Association in September 2010, Meanwhile, over in the Senate, Sens. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Ben Nelson (D- Neb.) introduced a proposal to completely repeal the expanded 1099 reporting requirement and replace the revenue with surplus funds from the 2009 federal economic stimulus package. Although, Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Claire McCaskill (D- Mo.) signed on as cosponsors, Democratic leaders opposed the proposal. [NSBA, 9/22/10] Begich Voted To Repeal 1099 Recordkeeping Requirements For Small Businesses Under ACA. Reported the Cordova Times in February 2011, Sen. Mark Begich, D- Alaska, joined a majority of his Senate colleagues today in voting to repeal a recordkeeping requirement for small businesses under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Commonly called the 1099 provision the regulation, passed as part of health reform, would require small business owners for file an IRS form 1099 each time they make a purchase of $600 or more from a vendor. [Cordova Times, 2/2/11] Begich Introduced Legislation To Expand Health Care Tax Credits For Small Business, Give Small Businesses Access To Federal Health Plan Market: Headline: Cordova Times: Begich Plan Offers Relief For Small Business Insurance. [Cordova Times, 7/26/13] Begich Introduced Small Business Relief Package To Simplify, Streamline Certain Provisions Of Affordable Care Act For Small Businesses. Reported The Hill in July 2013, Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) introduced a bill Thursday that would delay President Obama s employer healthcare mandate for two years. Begich, who is expected to have a tough reelection fight in 2016, introduced the Small Business Relief Plan, S. 1330, which combines five bills amending the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare. This package will give families and small businesses more options to choose from when picking a health plan, provide much needed tax credits to more small-business owners, reduce taxes for business expenses, and delay the employer responsibility

2 reporting requirements and penalties to give businesses time to learn about the new law, Begich said. [The Hill, 7/19/13] Begich Introduced Measure To Expand Eligibility For Health Insurance Tax Credits. Reported The Hill in July 2013, The bill would also give some small businesses access to the Federal Employee Health Benefits program and expand eligibility for health insurance tax credits, among other things. [The Hill, 7/19/13] Begich Introduced Small Business Relief Plan To Make Purchasing Insurance More Affordable, Simpler. Reported the Cordova Times in July 2013, Sen. Mark Begich, D- Alaska, has introduced a small business relief plan, a package of five bills and several provisions to make purchasing insurance for small businesses more affordable and simpler. Begich said July 18 that the plan would help remove obstacles for small businesses and simplify the purchase of health insurance. The bills would give businesses time to prepare for the new rules under the Affordable Care Act, increase competition by allowing small businesses access to multi-state insurance plans, expand and simplify tax credits in the ACA and implement sensible tax deductions for job-creating investments. [Cordova Times, 7/26/13] Wall Street Journal: Begich Introduced Legislative Package To Reduce The Costs That Small Businesses Pay To Insure Their Employees. Reported the Wall Street Journal in September 2013, In July, Mr. Begich introduced multiple bills to reduce the costs that small businesses pay to insure their employees. [Wall Street Journal, 9/26/13] Headline: Government Executive: Lawmaker: Allow Small Businesses to Enroll in Fed Health Plans. [Government Executive, 7/19/13] Begich Introduced Legislation To Allow Some Small Businesses To Enroll Employees In Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan. Reported Government Executive in July 2013, A Democratic lawmaker has introduced a plan to ease small businesses transition into new requirements in the Affordable Care Act by allowing them to opt into the federal employees health care system. Legislation from Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska -- the Healthy Competition for Small Business Act -- would grant small business owners the opportunity to enroll their employees in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan if fewer than two insurance plans are available in the small business exchange of the state in which the business is located.... The bill would end the option to enroll in FEHB as soon as two or more plans become available through the state s small business exchange. It would task the Office of Personnel Management with overseeing the administration of the proposal. [Government Executive, 7/19/13] Begich Supported ACA Tax Credits For Small Business As A Way To Help Them Provide Health Insurance And Retain Employees. Begich responded to a question on his future outlook on health care and said the Affordable Care Act will continue to be worked on over time. He said he had several fixes with tax incentives that will work for small business owners. Small businesses who do not provide health care today but want to because it s a great detention tool, he said. We lose employees to larger companies who offer health care. [Peninsula Clarion, 4/15/14] Begich Co-Sponsored Bill Extending Small Business Tax Credits For Health Care. Sen. Mark Begich co-sponsored legislation: Small Business Tax Credits Accessibility Act...Improves flexibility, increases affordability, and eases the transition for our small businesses by making Small Business Health Care Tax Credits available for a longer period of time and accessible to more employers. Small businesses would be able to spend less time and money worrying about how they will provide coverage for their employees. [McClatchy, 3/27/14]

3 Begich Co-Sponsored Bill Counting Family Members Working For The Same Business And On The Same Employer Health Plan As One Full-Time Employee. Sen. Mark Begich co-sponsored legislation: Treating Families Fairly...Sens. Manchin, Heitkamp, Landrieu, Warner, Begich...Counts family members working for the same business and on the same employer health plan as one full-time equivalent employee for the purposes of ensuring larger businesses offer coverage to their full time workers. [McClatchy, 3/27/14] Begich Backed Legislation To Expand Option For Voluntary Coverage To Employers With Up To 100 Workers: Begich Co-Sponsored Bill Expanding Option For Voluntary Coverage To Employers With Fewer Than 100 Employees. Sen. Mark Begich co-sponsored legislation: Small Business Stability Act...Expands the option for voluntary coverage to employers with fewer than 100 employees, about 98 percent of all businesses. This will provide certainty to small businesses as they make decisions for their businesses and flexibility for planning and growth. [McClatchy, 3/27/14] Begich Supported Expanding The ACA Option For Voluntary Coverage To Employers With Fewer Than 100 Employees To Ease The Transition For Employers. In a March 2014 op-ed with Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, Sen. Mary Landrieu, Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Angus King and Sen. Joe Machin, Begich wrote, Second, to ease the transition for employers, we want to expand the option for voluntary coverage for employers with fewer than 100 employees, about 98 percent of all businesses. This will enable small and mid-sized businesses to make their own choices for their businesses, and employees can shop for coverage on the individual marketplace. [Begich, Politico Magazine, 3/26/14] Republican Sen. Mike Crapo Called Begich Reform Proposals Promising And Urged Senate To Move Forward On Reforms: Sen. Mike Crapo Called Proposals By Begich & Moderate Democrats To Fix ACA Promising. Of course, the political gains in introducing the ideas can t be ignored, as two of the three Democrats up for reelection this year Mark Begich of Alaska and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana are facing particularly tough battles. The others are Mark Warner of Virginia, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin of West Virginia. They re joined by Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine who caucuses with the Democrats. [ ] Whether the proposals can gain any traction will depend in part on whether Republicans become willing to fix parts of the law instead of strip it bare. Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) called them promising and said he hopes there s some way to discuss them seriously. Obviously we re in a very partisan environment right now, but that being said, I think we re showing in a number of different arenas that we can try to find some pathways to move forward and build consensus, he said. We so badly need to do so in regard to the ACA. [Politico, 3/27/14] Sen. Mike Crapo Argued Republicans And Democrats Badly Need To Move Forward And Find Consensus On ACA. Whether the proposals can gain any traction will depend in part on whether Republicans become willing to fix parts of the law instead of strip it bare. Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) called them promising and said he hopes there s some way to discuss them seriously. Obviously we re in a very partisan environment right now, but that being said, I think we re showing in a number of different arenas that we can try to find some pathways to move forward and build consensus, he said. We so badly need to do so in regard to the ACA. [Politico, 3/27/14] It keeps us from making REALITY: ACA Is Not Expected To Impact Hiring

4 investments in our company. We aren t going to go out and hire new people, buy new equipment. Headline: CBS: Despite Obamacare, execs still expect to keep hiring. [CBS, 9/11/13] Sept Survey Of U.S. Company CFOs Indicated Execs Intended To Increase Full-Time Hiring By 1.8%. Reported CBS in September 2013, Despite concerns over the expected impact of Obamacare when it take effect next year, the executives said they expect to increase the number of full-time employees hired by their companies by 1.8 percent, according to a new Duke University/CFO Magazine poll of CFOs at 530 U.S. companies. [CBS, 9/11/13] Headline: USA Today: Small-business jobs rise as economy improves. [USA Today, 8/20/13] Moody s Economist Mark Zandi, On Alleged Negative Impact Of ACA On Hiring: It s Not There. Reported USA Today in August 2013, Small-business hiring and confidence about the future are rising, a signal of the economy's growing strength and diminishing concerns about employee insurance coverage required by the new health care law.... The gains are beginning to shift the terms of the debate over the health care law. Under the law, businesses with 50-plus full-time-equivalent workers must offer insurance to people working 30 hours a week beginning in That mandate, originally slated for 2014, has not deterred hiring as feared, some economists now say. As more data come in, the law's impact can't be seen in hiring statistics, says Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics. I was expecting to see it. I was looking for it, and it's not there, says Zandi, whose firm manages ADP's surveys of overall private-sector job creation. If the Affordable Care Act were causing a drop, you would see meaningful slowing. [USA Today, 8/20/13] Zandi: There Is Little Evidence... Health Care Reform [Has] Had A Significant Impact On The Job Market. Reported USA Today in September 2013, A batch of reports Thursday portrayed a job market that seems to be climbing out of a midyear dip. The encouraging data could signal a solid Labor Department report today on payroll growth last month. Businesses and governments likely added 180,000 jobs, according to economists' consensus estimate.... There is little evidence that fiscal austerity and health care reform have had a significant impact on the job market, says Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics, which helps ADP conduct the survey. [USA Today, 9/6/13] And The Claim Has Been Called Out, Time And Again, By Independent Fact Checkers FactCheck.org Called Job-Killing Claim Misleading, Bogus, And Backed By Misrepresentations. According to a December 2011 analysis from FactCheck.org, We first wrote about this back in January, when we noted that House Republicans were attaching the misleading job-killing label to the law, and offering only misrepresentations of the evidence to back up their slogan. But the bogus claim has been repeated over and over all year. [FactCheck.org, 12/20/11] Factcheck.Org, On Job-Killing Claim: Repeating A Whopper Doesn t Make It True, It Just Makes It A Bigger Whopper. According to a December 2011 analysis from FactCheck.org, On Dec. 10, Rep. Michele Bachmann falsely claimed that a study showed the U.S. will lose 1.6 million jobs over five years if we keep Obamacare referring to a business group s study that did not examine the new law at all, and showed nothing of the sort. And we also found the worst part of Mitt Romney s first TV spot wasn t the out-of-context video editing that caused the Obama campaign to label it dishonest, but instead was the more substantive claim that the new law is killing jobs.

5 It may be that the constant repetition of this false claim will make a lot of voters believe it. But repeating a whopper doesn t make it true, it just makes it a bigger whopper. [FactCheck.org, 12/20/11] FactCheck.org Determined Claim ACA Impact On Jobs Will Be Minimal And Not Significant. Fact Check reported, We ve been batting down bogus claims about the Affordable Care Act for years, since 2009, when legislation was still in the debate stage. [ ] It s true nonpartisan economic analyses have estimated a small loss of mainly lowwage jobs because of the law. But as one expert told us, there hasn t been much analysis of this impact of the law because, he believes, economists think the impact will be minimal. Still, Republicans have continued to push the idea that the law will have a significant effect on jobs. [FactCheck, 9/16/13] PolitiFact Rated The Claim, Under Obamacare, 75% Of Small Businesses Now Say They Are Going To Be Forces To Either Fire Workers Or Cut Their Hours Pants On Fire. PolitiFact found, Suggestions that business are laying off workers because of the health care law have so far proven to be largely unfounded. Most small businesses -- those with fewer than 50 employees -- do not have to provide health insurance to their employees. (In fact, some very small businesses with fewer than 25 employees may qualify for tax credits under the law.) The claim here that 75 percent of small business were reducing their workforce was based on a misreading of a study from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The study actually found that less than 10 percent of small businesses said they will be forced to reduce their workforce or cut hours. We rated the claim Pants on Fire. [PolitiFact, 9/24/13] Politifact: Suggestion That Businesses Are Laying Off Workers Due To ACA Have So Far Proven To Be Largely Unfounded. According to a September 2013 analysis from Politifact, Suggestions that business are laying off workers because of the health care law have so far proven to be largely unfounded. Most small businesses -- those with fewer than 50 employees -- do not have to provide health insurance to their employees. (In fact, some very small businesses with fewer than 25 employees may qualify for tax credits under the law.) [Politifact, 9/24/13] Senator Begich cast the deciding vote for Obamacare. TEXT: Mark Begich Cast The Deciding Vote For Obamacare June 17, 2014: Washington Post Fact Check Called Out Crossroads GPS For Making Same Bogus Deciding Vote Claim In North Carolina Senate Race Headline: Washington Post Fact Checker: Old Obamacare claims don t age well in new Crossroads GPS ad. [Fact Checker, Washington Post, 6/17/14] Washington Post Fact Checker Called Out Crossroads GPS For Claiming Hagan s Vote Passed Obamacare. Hagen s Vote Passed Obamacare The ad does not quite claim that Hagan cast the deciding vote but it comes close. The Senate s version of the legislation was passed by a vote of 60 to 38, after Democrats voted to end debate and advance the bill. Every Democrat in the Senate, including Hagen, voted for that bill. But it was never officially reconciled with a House version because the Democrats lost the Massachusetts Senate seat in a special election. So an amendment of the Senate bill, crafted in the House, was finally passed on March 25 under a procedure that avoided the 60-vote requirement. That bill only needed 50 votes, and it passed 56 to 43, with Hagan voting with the majority. [Fact Checker, Washington Post, 6/17/14] Deciding Vote Claim Has Been Repeatedly Debunked FactCheck.org Said Ads That Said Various Senators Were Deciding Vote For ACA Push[ed] The Bounds Of Accuracy. In June 2012, FactCheck.org wrote: The 60 Plus ad against Nelson also claims that he was a deciding vote for the health care law. That s

6 a stretch. We suppose any vote for the law could technically be called a deciding one, but Bill Nelson wasn t a pivotal vote any more than any other senator. It was another Nelson Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska who was one of the last senators to sign on to the bill and give Democrats enough votes to pass it, a fact that Bill Nelson highlighted on his Facebook page. Other ads, including several from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have claimed that other lawmakers Sens. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Brown of Ohio and Jon Tester of Montana cast a deciding vote for the law. We think it pushes the bounds of accuracy to say anyone who voted for it was a deciding vote. [FactCheck.org, 6/10/12] PolitIfact Florida Ruled Claim That Bill Nelson Was Deciding Vote For ACA Mostly False. [PolitiFact Florida, 6/14/12] PolitiFact Florida Against Said It Was Mostly False To Claim Bill Nelson Was Deciding Vote For ACA. [PolitiFact Florida, 7/11/12] PolitiFact Ohio Said It Was False To Claim Brown Was ACA s Deciding Vote. [PolitiFact Ohio, 5/30/12] FactCheck.Org: A Stretch To Say McCaskill Was Deciding Vote For ACA. [Factcheck.org, 2/21/12] Politifact Ruled Claim That Mark Udall Was Deciding Vote For ACA Mostly False. [PolitiFact, 4/15/14] Last Senator To Commit To ACA Was Actually Sen. Nelson Of Nebraska A Fact National Republicans Have Acknowledged Ben Nelson Cast the Deciding Vote for the Affordable Care Act. In reality, the last Democratic senator to commit to the health care bill was Ben Nelson of Nebraska. [Politico, 3/23/11] NRSC Spokesman Admitted That Sen. Nelson Was the 60 th Vote for Healthcare Reform. NRSC spokesman Brian Walsh said it may be true in a technical sense that Tester wasn t the 60th senator to cast a yes vote. [Politico, 3/23/11] PolitiFact: If Any Democratic Senator Deserves The Distinction Of Clearing The Way For The Health Reform Law, It Is Sen. Ben Nelson Of Nebraska. The charge that this or that Democrat cast the deciding vote for the Affordable Care Act has shown up before. In June, a conservative group leveled it at Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla, (PolitiFact Florida rated that Mostly False), and in 2012, a Republican challenger made the same claim about Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio (PolitiFact Ohio rated that False). The reality is that if any Democratic senator deserves the distinction of clearing the way for the health reform law, it is Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska. As was widely reported at the time, Nelson delivered the 60th vote needed to send the bill to the floor for a vote. [PolitiFact, 10/7/13] Mark Begich doesn t understand what voting 97% of the time with Obama is doing to businesses in Alaska. TEXT: Begich Voted With Obama: 97% The Truth: Independent Fact Checker Rated 97% Claim False Politifact Rated Sullivan 97% Claim False. According to a February 2014 fact check by Politifact, Sullivan s campaign claimed Begich supports Obama s economic policies 97 percent of the time.... Sullivan s claim hinges on one statistic in a way that doesn t accurately reflect Begich s voting record on economic policy. We rated this claim Mostly False. [Politifact, 2/21/14] Politifact: Begich Is Among The Most Independent Senators Currently Serving.

7 According to a February 2014 fact check by Politifact, OpenCongress ranked Begich at 45th for 2013 when it comes to voting with his party. That shows that Begich is among the most independent senators currently serving. [Politifact, 2/21/14] Politifact: Begich Has Split With National Democrats On Budget Proposal, Free Trade Agreements, Oil & Gas Taxes. According to a February 2014 fact check by Politifact, On economic policy, Begich voted against the March 2013 Senate budget proposal passed by nearly every other Democrat. Begich has also opposed Democratic measures in favor of free trade agreements with Colombia and Panama, and legislation that would put more taxes on the oil and gas industry. National Democrats often try to pay for something with oil and gas taxes, Begich told Politico in January. And I have to explain that ain t happening: That ain t happening over my dead body. [Politifact, 2/21/14] Alaskans Know: Mark Begich Votes For Alaska 100% Of The Time Politico: Begich... Has Aggressively Positioned Himself As An Alaskan First And A Democrat Second. Reported Politico in March 2013, In Alaska, Democratic Sen. Mark Begich beat Ted Stevens in 2008 by just a few thousand votes. But Begich, the former mayor of Anchorage, has aggressively positioned himself as an Alaskan first and a Democrat second. Though he voted for Obamacare, he has broken with Democrats on issues important to the oil industry. [Politico, 3/19/13] Anchorage Daily News: Begich And Murkowski Voted Together More Than 80% Of The Time. The ad also says that Begich supports Obama s anti-gun judges and votes with Obama 97 percent of the time. That s not independent. [ ] The 97 percent figure refers to a Congressional Quarterly ranking on votes for which President Obama has taken a position. In 2013, there were 108 such votes in the Senate. Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted on the same side as the president 72 percent of the time and in the House, Rep. Don Young agreed with the president s stance just 22 percent of the time, according to Congressional Quarterly. Begich and Murkowski have been on the same side for 84 percent of all votes, his campaign said. [Anchorage Daily News, 6/11/14] Anchorage Daily News Alaska Ear: Begich And Murkowski Rank Squarely In The Moderate (Sane) Range. According to the Anchorage Daily News Alaska Ear in February 2013, For earwigs who like numbers, the conservative National Journal, which is obsessed with Congress, has ranked U.S. senators based on an analysis of their votes. Of the 100 senators, Lisa is ranked 56th most conservative and 44th most liberal. Mark is ranked 41st most liberal and 59th most conservative. Since we're talking about a pool of 100, this means both our guys are squarely in the "moderate" (sane) range -- about halfway between right-wing wackos and left-wing loonies. Given that Lisa and Mark both occasionally take positions that make Ear's brain matter leak from its lobe, and given that the process of electing good people to office is like trying to nail Jell-O to a tree, we have apparently lucked out. Yes, d'ears, The Divine Appendage is saying something nice about a couple of our politicians. Don't worry, it won't happen again. [Alaska Ear, Anchorage Daily News, 2/23/13] Politico Called Begich One Of The Most Conservative Members Of The Senate Democratic Caucus. Reported Politico in July 2009, Alaska Sen. Mark Begich is positioning himself as one of the most conservative members of the Senate Democratic Caucus - a role that makes him a swing vote for Democratic leaders eager to get 60 senators to support their hot-button initiatives. [Politico, 7/9/09] Young, On Begich: It's Because Of Our Long Shared Personal History That We Have Been Able To Work Well For Alaska. Reported McClatchy in March 2013, Young has known him almost from his birth. I just celebrated 40 years in Congress, and

8 it's ironic that I would pass that milestone while serving with the son of the man I was elected to replace under such sad circumstances, Young said in a recent interview. Back then, I would never have thought that Mark, who I've known since he was in diapers, would be my colleague in Congress one day, Young said. It's because of our long shared personal history that we have been able to work well for Alaska. [McClatchy, 3/30/13] Murkowski: Begich Is Working On Issues Important to Alaska Constituents - Begich Has Been Keying In On The Issues That I Think Alaskans Are Worried About And Doing What He Was Tasked To Do. Reported the Anchorage Daily News in January 2014, Asked how Begich was doing, she said, As an Alaska delegation, we've got to be working on those issues that are important to our constituents. Sen. Begich has been keying in on the issues that I think Alaskans are worried about and doing what he was tasked to do. U.S. Rep. Don Young last week said Begich was in a tough race in a conservative state, but also said the Democrat was doing a good job in the Senate. [Anchorage Daily News, 1/20/14] Anchorage Daily News: Begich Has Consistently Taken Votes And Pushed Bills To Protect Oil And Natural Gas Companies... An Industry Vital To Alaskans. Reported the Anchorage Daily News in March 2013, Since joining the Senate in January 2009 to replace the late Sen. Ted Stevens, Begich has consistently taken votes and pushed bills to protect oil and natural gas companies, such as preserving their tax subsidies or opposing more federal regulation of them. That stance helps an industry vital to Alaskans while placing him at odds with all but a handful of other Senate Democrats. Begich's support for Big Oil led the League of Conservative Voters to give him a score of 64 percent on important environmental votes last year, a lower grade than most other Democratic senators. [Anchorage Daily News, 3/31/13] Anchorage Daily News: Begich Has Spent Much Of His Time In Washington... Focused On More Local And Regional Issues Of Vital Importance To His State. Reported the Anchorage Daily News in March 2013, For Alaskans, Begich has spent much of his time in Washington away from the Senate floor glare of controversial votes, focused on more local and regional issues of vital importance to his state. Begich crafted an accord that enables Indian Health Service clinics to treat non-native veterans, and he helped members of the National Guard or National Reserve gain access to seats on military planes, a perk previously limited to active-duty soldiers. Begich is working with Republicans to expedite the export of liquefied natural gas to NATO and to Japan, Alaska's largest trading partner. Crossing party lines to work with Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the state's senior senator, Begich preserved surcharge-free mail delivery to Bush Alaska and blocked a plan to relocate the F-16 squadron at Eielson Air Force Base. The two senators have also teamed up to push legislation requiring all oil tankers in the Prince William Sound to be escorted by two tugs. As part of the 2009 stimulus package, Begich helped secure $197 million to modernize Alaska's military bases and $152 million to build a hospital in Nome. And the senator has proposed the creation of a U.S. ambassador to the Arctic and an Arctic Advisory Council to help coordinate policies of the United States, Canada and the other seven countries in the region. [Anchorage Daily News, 3/31/13] Cook Political Report: Begich Is Very Alaska-First. Reported McClatchy in August 2013, Democratic Sen. Mark Begich won his first term in 2008 with 48 percent of the vote in a three-way race and he s been a Republican target for years. Duffy of The Cook Political Report said, One of Begich s advantages is that he s very Alaska-first. [McClatchy, 8/14/13] Begich, On Making Sure Alaska Is Represented In Legislation: Almost Every Issue Has An Alaska Nexus... And If That's Not In, Don't Talk To Me. Reported the Reported the National Journal in February 2013, Identify a big national issue, and Begich

9 drills it down to an Alaska issue. Almost every issue has an Alaska nexus, Begich said. And then the poor leadership gets to hear from me on a regular basis, why this is important to Alaska, whatever that little segment is, and if that's not in, don't talk to me. [National Journal, 2/1/13] REALITY: CQ Selects Small, Arbitrary Number Of Votes To Determine Presidential Support Score 2013: U.S. Senate Took 291 Roll Call Votes CQ Examined Just 108 Votes. [Senate Roll Call Votes 113 th Congress, First Session, 2013; CQ Weekly, 2/3/14] CQ Used Only 37.1% Of Total Votes Case By Senate To Determine Presidential Unity Score. In 2013, CQ used 108 out of a total of 291 roll call votes case by the U.S. Senate to determine its presidential unity score. [Senate Roll Call Votes 113 th Congress, First Session, 2013; CQ Weekly, 2/3/14] 71 Of The 108 Votes Scored By CQ Almost Two-Thirds Were Senate Nomination Votes. In 2013, CQ used 108 votes to determine presidential unity 71, or 65.7%, of which were nomination votes. [CQ Weekly, 2/3/14] 2012: U.S. Senate Took 251 Roll Call Votes CQ Examined Just 79 Votes. [Senate Roll Call Votes 112 th Congress, Second Session, 2012; CQ Weekly, 1/21/13] CQ Used Only 31.5% Of Total Votes Case By Senate To Determine Presidential Unity Score. In 2012, CQ used 79 out of a total of 251 roll call votes case by the U.S. Senate to determine its presidential unity score. [Senate Roll Call Votes 112 th Congress, Second Session, 2012; CQ Weekly, 1/21/13] 40 Of The 79 Votes Scored By CQ More Than Half Were Senate Nomination Votes. [CQ Weekly, 1/21/13] 2011: CQ Scored 89 Senate Votes Out of 236 Total Votes Cast by U.S. Senate. [CQ, 2011 Senate Presidential Position Votes; Senate Roll Call Votes 2011] CQ Used Only 38 Percent of Total Votes Cast by Senate to Determine Presidential Unity Score. In 2011, CQ used 89 votes out of the total 236 votes cast by the U.S. Senate to determine each Senator s presidential unity score. [CQ, 2011 Senate Presidential Position Votes; Senate Roll Call Votes 112 th Congress, First Session, 2011] 51 Of The 89 Votes Scored By CQ More Than Half Were Senate Nomination Votes. [CQ, 2011 Senate Presidential Position Votes; Senate Roll Call Votes 112 th Congress, First Session, 2011] 2010: CQ Scored 64 Out of 299 Total Votes Cast by U.S. Senate. [CQ, 2010 Senate Presidential Position Votes; Senate Roll Call Votes 111 th Congress, Second Session 2010] CQ Used Only 21 Percent of Total Votes Cast by Senate to Determine Presidential Unity Score. In 2011, CQ used 64 votes out of the total 299 votes cast by the U.S. Senate to determine each Senator s presidential unity score. [CQ, 2010 Senate Presidential Position Votes; Senate Roll Call Votes 111 th Congress, Second Session 2010] 33 Of The 64 Votes Scored by CQ More Than Half Were Senate Confirmation Votes. [CQ, 2010 Senate Presidential Position Votes; Senate Roll

10 Call Votes 111 th Congress, Second Session 2010] 2009: CQ Scored 79 Out of 397 Total Votes Cast by U.S. Senate. [CQ, 2009 Senate Presidential Position Votes; Senate Roll Call Votes 111 th Congress, First Session 2009] CQ Used Only 19 Percent Of Total Votes Cast By Senate To Determine Presidential Unity Score. In 2009, CQ used 79 votes out of the total 397 votes cast by the U.S. Senate to determine each Senator s presidential unity score. [CQ, 2009 Senate Presidential Position Votes; Senate Roll Call Votes 111 th Congress, First Session 2009] 32 Of The 79 Votes Scored By CQ Were Senate Confirmation Votes. [CQ, 2009 Senate Presidential Position Votes; Senate Roll Call Votes 111 th Congress, First Session 2009] TEXT: Tell Mark Begich: Support S. 177, the Obamacare Repeal Act (907) Paid for by Crossroads GPS. REALITY: Karl Rove s Crossroads Was Called Out For Lying About Mark Begich s Record On Veterans Headline: FactCheck.org: Twisting Begich s Response To VA Scandal. [FactCheck.org, 6/4/14] Crossroads GPS Misused Begich WSJ Quote By Conflating Two Separate VA Management Problems And Insinuating Begich Did Not Take VA Controversy Seriously. Crossroads GPS misuses a quote from Sen. Mark Begich and conflates two separate management problems at the Veterans Administration to insinuate in a TV ad that Begich doesn t take the current VA scandal seriously. The conservative group attempts to link Begich who sits on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to news reports that some veterans died while waiting for VA medical appointments. The ad quotes Begich as saying, If there s a problem, they need to fix it, and then asks incredulously, if there is a problem? to suggest that Begich doesn t believe there is one. But three weeks before he made that remark, Begich condemned reports of mismanagement at the VA as a disgrace and called for an immediate investigation and a national policy to allow veterans to get care at non-va health facilities. The ad also suggests that Begich should have known about the current problems at the VA because four years ago the VA inspector general failed the Anchorage VA office in 13 of 14 areas. But that report concerned the processing of disability claims and was unrelated to the scandal. And Begich did press former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to fix the claims backlog at the time. [FactCheck.org, 6/4/14] Crossroads GPS Ad Repeated Misconstrued Quote Used In Sullivan Op-Ed One Week Earlier. Crossroads GPS misuses a quote from Sen. Mark Begich and conflates two separate management problems at the Veterans Administration to insinuate in a TV ad that Begich doesn t take the current VA scandal seriously. [ ] The leading GOP candidate in the Alaska race, Dan Sullivan, also used that quote in an opinion piece that was published in the Anchorage Daily News on May 20. Sullivan wrote: Incredibly, Senator Mark Begich, has barely acknowledged that there is a problem. He seems to view himself as a bystander to the crisis facing America s veterans. If there s a problem, Senator Begich said, they [the Obama Administration] need to fix it. The quote comes from a May 15 Wall Street Journal story, which said: Sen. Mark Begich, a Democrat facing re-election this year in conservative-leaning Alaska, said that after the HealthCare.gov issues, the administration should be vigilant to correct any problems. They should have learned from that if there s a problem, they need to fix it, he said. [FactCheck.org, 6/4/14]