Jeff Denham

Jeff Denham is a hypocrite.  Routinely saying one thing in public and doing another in private. He publicly refused pay raises, but privately wrote letters requesting them.  He said he stands with women's healthcare, yet he co-sponsored a bill that would redefine rape and voted to deny thousands of women access to birth control and cancer screenings. 

Denham Wrote Letter Accepting Two Pay Raises in 2006. In 2008, it was reported that despite publically touting pay cuts, Denham accepted three pay raises. Over a two year period Denham turned down a pay raise and accepted another pay raise within a month.  In November 2006, he wrote a letter accepting a 12 percent pay increase and rescinded his voluntary 5 percent pay reduction. [Capitol Alert, Sacramento Bee, 1/25/08]

Denham Wrote Letter Accepting Pay Raise in 2007. In 2008, it was reported that despite publically touting pay cuts, Denham accepted three pay raises. In 2007 Denham wrote a letter accepting a 2% pay raise. His salary rose from $110,880 to $113,098. [Capitol Alert, Sacramento Bee, 1/25/08]

February 8, 2011: Denham Co-Sponsored No Taxpayer Funding for Abortions Act. On January 20, 2011, Rep. Chris Smith introduced the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortions Act,” a bill meant to ban federal funding for abortions. On February 8, 2011, Denham cosponsored the bill. [HR 3 Co-Sponsors, 112^th Congress]

Initially, the Bill Redefined Rape. Shortly after the bill was introduced, it stirred a controversy with opponents claiming it contained language more narrowly defining “rape” as “forcible rape.” The Washington Post reported that the bill’s critics believed “the modifier could distinguish it from other kinds of sexual assault that are typically recognized as rape, including statutory rape and attacks that occur because of drugs or verbal threats.” [Washington Post, 2/1/11; Politico, 2/3/11]

Denham Signed Onto the Bill When Redefine Rape Language was Still Included. While the GOP had pledge to change the language when Denham signed on to co-sponsor the bill the redefine rape language was still in there. As the New York Times noted the same day Denham added his name - “The bill, sponsored by Representative Christopher H. Smith, Republican of New Jersey, has drawn fire over language that undercuts a longstanding exemption on the ban on using federal money for abortions in the case of rape or incest; the measure narrows the definition of rape to “forcible rape,” a term that his office has never defined. Democratic lawmakers and others repeatedly hammered on the term, saying it suggested that victims of statutory rape and other crimes could not get abortions paid for with federal money. While Mr. Smith’s staff said last week that the term “forcible rape” would be removed from the bill, the staff of Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, said that language remained intact as of Tuesday. [New York Times, 2/8/11]

Denham Voted Disqualify Planned Parenthood from Receiving Federal Funds. February 18, 2011, Denham voted for an amendment “to disqualify Planned Parenthood and its affiliates from receiving funds appropriated by the bill. The proposal would deny basic, preventive health-care services, including birth control and cancer screenings, to millions of Americans.” [HR 1, Vote #93, 2/18/11; NARAL’s Congressional Record on Choice Report, 2011]

Planned Parenthood Helped Provide Birth Control and Cancer Detection to Women. In 2012, Planned Parenthood programs in California included affordable birth control and cancer detection programs. [plannedparenthood.org, accessed 10/29/12]