FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JANUARY 22, 2019
Contact: Eric Holl
eric@lademo.org

More Broken Promises: Abraham Skips More Votes To Fundraise, Just Days After He’s Caught Breaking His Word On His Salary

Just days after being caught breaking his promise to donate his congressional salary to sick children and wounded veterans, Rep. Abraham is going back on his word again.

Tonight, Rep. Abraham missed more votes so that he could be in Louisiana to fundraise for his gubernatorial campaign. He’s expected to miss votes to re-open government tomorrow for a fundraiser.

Representative Abraham and his staff talked and talked about how the Congressman would be in DC to represent his constituents during the shutdown. Instead, he’s abandoning his duties in Congress, just like he abandoned his pledge to give $174,000 a year to St. Jude’s and the Independence Fund.

And just like with his broken salary pledge, Rep. Abraham was hoping to quietly break his word without anyone noticing. Unfortunately for him, the Advocate’s Elizabeth Crisp discovered his fundraiser earlier today.

“Representative Abraham seems incapable of keeping his word, whether it’s to thousands of Louisiana families suffering from a government shutdown, or to sick children and wounded veterans. Rep. Abraham should cancel any fundraisers he has scheduled during the shutdown and do the job he was elected to do. And he should come clean about just how much of the $700,000 he promised to charity over the last four years he’s actually paid,” said Eric Holl, spokesman for Victory 2019, the Democratic Coordinated Campaign.

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BACKGROUND:

ABRAHAM MISSED VOTES TONIGHT AND IS EXPECTED TO MISS VOTES TO RE-OPEN GOVERNMENT TOMORROW IN ORDER TO ATTEND A GUBERNATORIAL FUNDRAISER

Abraham Missed Two Votes Today, January 22nd. According to the U.S. House Clerk, Abraham was absent for votes of the U.S. House on January 22nd. [U.S. House Clerk, Roll Calls 44 and 45, 1/22/19 and 1/22/19]

Abraham Has A Fundraiser In Northeast Louisiana On January 23rd In The Afternoon. According to the Advocate’s Elizabeth Crisp, Abraham has a fundraiser in Lake Providence, Louisiana on January 23rd from Noon to 1:30 pm. [Elizabeth Crisp Twitter, 1/22/19]

The House Is Expected To Vote To Re-Open Government On January 23rd In The Afternoon. According to the Republican House Cloak Room, the House is expected to have votes on the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2019 from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm. [Republican U.S. House Cloak Room, accessed 1/22/19]

ABRAHAM’S PREVIOUSLY BEEN ADAMANT HE WOULD BE COMMITTED TO HIS JOB DURING THE SHUTDOWN

 

When Asked If The Government Shutdown Allowed Him To Spend Time On The Campaign Trail, Abraham Said “No, Not At All.” During an interview on Talk 107.3, Abraham had the following exchange, BRIAN HALDANE: “Congressman, looking at 2019, you’re going to have to do a lot of campaigning around the state and you’re starting off 2019 with the federal government shut down. I hate to ask you this way, does that free up your schedule?” RALPH ABRAHAM: “Well no, not at all. I certainly understand my job as a Congressman, and that’s to represent the people of the 5th District of Louisiana.” [Clarence Buggs Show, Talk 107.3, 1/2/19]

When Criticized For Missing Votes, Abraham’s Spokeperson Claimed Abraham Had The Highest Attendance Rate Of All Louisiana Congressmen. “When reached for comment, Abraham’s spokesman stressed the Congressman’s support for those impacted by the shutdown. ‘He supports back pay for furloughed workers,’ said Cole Avery, spokesman for Rep. Abraham. ‘He had the highest attendance rate of all Louisiana congressman in the 115th Congress. He has a lifetime voting attendance record of 99.2%.’” [KALB, 1/11/19]

On Twitter, Abraham’s Staff Criticized Others For Saying Abraham Couldn’t Focus On His Job In DC While Running For Governor. “The hypocrisy of @JohnBelforLA is disappointing. Already attacking @abraham_ralph, despite fact that no votes missed this week in DC. Same Governor who made sure to fundraise for himself in DC as critical flood recovery underway.” [Luke Letlow, Twitter, 12/28/18]

LATE LAST WEEK, ABRAHAM WAS CAUGHT BREAKING A PLEDGE TO DONATE HIS CONGRESSIONAL SALARY TO ST. JUDE’S AND THE INDEPENDENCE FUND

Advocate Front Page Headline: “Abraham Collects Congressional Salary After Pledging Not To” [The Advocate, 1/18/19]

The Advocate: Abraham Pledged “He Would Not Collect His Salary […] But It Turns Out That Voters In Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District Are Indeed Paying For His Representation.” “Running for Congress in 2014 as a political outsider, Dr. Ralph Abraham made a pledge that resonated with voters in his conservative northeast Louisiana district: He would not collect his salary if he went to Washington. “It Should Be An Honor And A Privilege To Serve Your Country And NOT A Paid Position,” Abraham said on his campaign website. “YOU Should Not Pay A Penny For Representation.” He said he would donate his salary to charity. Abraham won the race, but it turns out that voters in Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District are indeed paying for his representation, at a cost of $174,000 per year.” [The Advocate, 1/17/19]

Abraham Promised To Donate His Salary To St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital In Memphis And To The Independence Fund. “Technically, members of Congress are prohibited from refusing their pay. However, they may donate it to charity. Abraham pledged during the 2014 campaign to donate his salary to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis and to the Independence Fund, a nonprofit based in Charlotte that assists catastrophically wounded or injured veterans.” [The Advocate, 1/17/19]

Abraham Is One Of The Wealthiest Members Of Congress. “Roll Call, a Washington newspaper that covers Congress, estimated a year ago that Abraham had a net worth of $4.8 million, making him the 65th wealthiest member of Congress.” [The Advocate, 1/17/19]