MAINE, USA — Candidates running for Maine's second congressional district faced off their first joint appearance Tuesday during our Voice of the Voter forum. U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, Bruce Poliquin, a Republican who formerly served as a U.S. Representative for Maine's 2nd Congressional District, and Tiffany Bond, an independent, are in the running for the seat in Congress.
So, we're fact-checking some of the claims during Tuesday's forum.
INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: NEW TAX ON OIL AND FUEL
Poliquin and Golden disagreed on a tax imposed by the Inflation Reduction Act.
"It [the Inflation Reduction Act] actually puts new taxes on the production of heating oil, gasoline, and natural gas which drives up the cost of electricity," Poliquin said.
But Golden disagreed.
"He [Poliquin] talked about the Inflation Reduction Act putting a gas [tax] on oil and gas. Not true. What we want is American oil and gas and American energy independence," Golden said.
Why are we focusing on this? Because according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, about 60% of Mainers rely on fuel oil to heat their homes.
THE QUESTION
Does the Inflation Reduction Act put a new tax on oil and gas?
THE SOURCES
- The text directly from the Inflation Reduction Act
- The Maine Energy Marketer's Association, a nonprofit trade association that advocates for and promotes the sale of heating fuels.
WHAT WE FOUND
The text of the act states it will reinstate the "Hazardous Substance Superfund" financing rate. That bumps up the rate from 9.7 cents to 16.4 cents.
Charlie Summers, The Maine Energy Marketer's Association's President and CEO, backs that up.
"The IRA [Inflation Reduction Act] reinstates the Hazardous Substance “Superfund” tax on domestic crude oil and imported petroleum products under IRC Sec. 4611, which previously expired in 1995. The reinstatement is effective January 1, 2023 and will be imposed at a rate of 16.4 cents per barrel that year (an increase from 9.7 cents). The rate will be adjusted annually for inflation, beginning January 1, 2024, and the tax is set to expire December 31, 2032," Summers stated.
THE ANSWER
Yes, the Inflation Reduction Act puts a new tax on oil and gas.
INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: COST
Our next claim has to do with the total cost of the Inflation Reduction Act, about which Poliquin and Golden disagreed once again.
Poliquin: "When Mr. Golden voted a few weeks ago for this $740 billion monstrosity..."
Golden: "It's $440 billion."
Poliquin: "That's going to increase the cost of inflation..."
Golden: "It's going to reduce the deficit by $300 billion."
Poliquin: "And it's going to reduce our supplies of energy which is going to drive up the price of everything..."
THE QUESTION
What is the total cost of the Inflation Reduction Act?
THE SOURCES
- The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with some of the nation's leading budget experts
- The Senate Democrats one page summary of the act
WHAT WE FOUND
We found all sources are in agreement.
The total revenue raised for the Act is about $737 billion, and the total investments add up to about $437 billion. The deficit reduction is an estimated $300 billion.
THE ANSWER
Both claims represent different aspects of the total cost of the Inflation Reduction Act.
GOLDEN'S VOTING RECORD
Our next claim is over Golden's voting record while in office.
"The bipartisan Lugar Center has ranked me the seventh most bipartisan member of Congress, that's out of 435 people in the House of Representatives," Golden said.
To VERIFY, our source is the Lugar Center and Georgetown University's McCourt School Rankings for Congress from 2021. It "measures how often a member of Congress introduces bills that attract co-sponsors from the other pary, and how often they in turn co-sponsor a bill introduced from across the aisle."
Its ranking lists Golden at #7 on the list, so we can VERIFY: This claim is true.
Our final VERIFY also pertains to Golden's voting record with a claim made by Poliquin.
"Let's set the record straight here, my opponent votes 92% of the time with the democratic majority," Poliquin said.
To VERIFY, our sources are:
- ProPublica, an independent nonprofit newsroom
ProPublica states Golden has voted against the Democratic party about 7.4% of the time.
The Lugar Center at Georgetown University ranks Congressional members based on how they vote relative to their party. Scores above 1.0 are outstanding, according to the center. It gives Golden a score of 1.74777, which is the No. 7 ranking of all current representatives.
We can VERIFY: Yes, Golden votes about 92% with the Democratic party.