Quad-City Times - Durbin, Bustos Hit Republicans on Jobs Policies

News Article

By Ed Tibbetts

Illinois Democrats were talking tough Monday about defending American jobs at the Rock Island County Party's annual "Salute to Labor" picnic at Illiniwek Park in Hampton.

U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos hammered her Republican rival Monday, saying he is "drawing his check through foreign nationals" who are "gaming" the nation's immigration system.

Meanwhile, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said he'd continue standing up to firms that are considering moving their corporate headquarters overseas for tax purposes and reaping the benefits.

The tough talk comes as Democrats go into the final weeks of an election season in which they're trying to hold on to control of the U.S. Senate.

Hundreds of labor and party activists were on hand for the picnic, the 47th annual event.

Bustos, D-Ill., who is seeking a second term, said rival, former Rep. Bobby Schilling, had gone "from pizza to Peking" and is selling American visas to foreigners while Illinois jobs are being shipped to China. "We happen to think that's wrong," she said.

This is the second time in a week that Bustos' campaign has hit Schilling on his job.

The former congressman works for a Rock Island company that seeks out foreign investors who want to earn visas through the U.S.'s EB-5 program by making at least a $500,000 investment and committing to creating at least 10 American jobs.

The program has drawn scrutiny recently, though, with a Chicago man indicted last week on federal allegations that he solicited money from Chinese nationals interested in getting EB-5 visas but none were actually granted.

Jon Schweppe, a Schilling spokesman, responded Monday that Bustos had no room to talk about paychecks, when she's so far refused to surrender 10 percent of her congressional salary.

That's a reference to a 2012 comment Bustos made to the Chicago Tribune, saying she'd cut her pay even if a push to reduce congressional salaries failed. A spokesman later said she misspoke.

"It is truly sad to see Bustos so desperate to win a campaign that she is willing to slander a good company here in the Quad-Cities that has helped to create more than 90,000 new American jobs," Schweppe said.

Afterward, Bustos wouldn't say she favors elimination of the program, only that it should be examined closely. She also said while she had signed on to legislation that would have made the EB-5 program permanent, something the Schilling campaign hammered her for last week, it was part of a larger immigration reform bill.

Meanwhile, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the featured speaker at the picnic, had a few choice words for companies that are moving their corporate headquarters to foreign countries, a practice that can give bring some tax advantages.

Durbin, who faces Republican Jim Oberweis in this fall's election, has been critical of companies such as Illinois-based Walgreen's, which had reportedly considered a move but eventually rejected it.

Some conservatives called Durbin a "thug" and a "bully" for opposing Walgreen's potential move, but Durbin said he'd continue to rebuke companies moving offshore to lower their taxes.

"Where I grew up in the playgrounds of East Moline, Ill., bullies picked on little kids. This senator's picking on the big kids, and I'm going to keep doing that," Durbin said.

In addition to Durbin and Bustos, Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, was among the speakers. He is running against Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks.

He said the election is about the middle class and promoting job creation, along with protecting programs such as Social Security and Medicare.

Much of the attention this election season is on the U.S. Senate, where Republicans are hoping to gain control. In an interview, Durbin, the second-highest ranking Democrat in the Senate, predicted it would not happen.

"We feel with our candidates and the polls we're seeing that we're going to hold on. We may lose a few votes on our majority, but we're not going to lose the majority," he said.

Source