WASHINGTON – On the same day that U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) voted with his Democrat colleagues in Washington to drastically slash funding to Medicare, he falsely told a North Dakota radio station that the Democrats’ health care bill contained “no benefit cuts for senior citizens” – a claim debunked by a fellow Democrat Senator later that day.

In an interview on the Fargo-based KFGO, Dorgan was responding to the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s (NRSC) robocalls when he made the misleading claim about Medicare cuts. Click here for audio footage of the exchange.

Earlier in the very same day, however, Dorgan voted against an amendment sponsored by U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) that would have removed more than $400 billion in proposed Medicare cuts from the legislation.

The Democrats’ insistence on moving forward with Medicare cuts led to a remarkable admission from U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), who told Bloomberg that, “We’re not going to be able to say ‘if you like what you have, you can keep it,’” adding “that basic commitment that a lot of us around here have made will be called into question.”

“It is demonstrably false for Byron Dorgan to claim that the Democrats’ health care bill contains ‘no benefit cuts for senior citizens,’ when in fact the legislation would slash nearly half-a-trillion dollars from Medicare programs relied on by so many of North Dakota’s seniors,” NRSC spokesman Colin Reed said today.

“During his quarter century in Washington, Dorgan has used his moderate rhetoric to mask a decidedly liberal voting record far to the left of his constituents,” Reed continued. “But facts are stubborn things, and Dorgan cannot escape the fact that the Democrat health care plan he is enthusiastically supporting includes draconian cuts to the Medicare programs that seniors depend on for their health care needs.”

Background Information:

Dorgan Voted Against Senator John McCain’s Motion To Prevent $440.5 Billion In Cuts From Medicare Programs. “McCain, R-Ariz., motion to commit the bill to the Finance Committee with instructions that it be reported back after striking provisions that would cut $440.5 billion from Medicare programs, including $118.1 billion from Medicare Advantage and $150 billion in provider cuts. It would also state that savings in the bill to certain federal insurance trust funds be used to strengthen Medicare.” (H.R. 3590, CQ Vote # 358: Motion rejected 42-58: D 2-56; R 40-0, 12/3/09, Dorgan Voted Nay)

According To The Kaiser Family Foundation, 7,458 North Dakotans Utilize Medicare Advantage Programs. (The Kaiser Family Foundation Website, www.statehealthfacts.org, Accessed 12/4/09)