Fox Whitewashes Rob Portman's “Interesting Background” As Bush OMB Director

Written by Jeremy Holden

Published

Reporting on the lawmakers selected to negotiate deficit reduction, Fox News' Mike Emanuel touted Sen. Rob Portman's (R-OH) “interesting background,” saying that not only does he have legislative experience, but “he's done the budget from the administration side of things.” But Portman's “interesting background” was serving as director of the Office of Management and Budget during the Bush administration when federal deficits more than doubled.

Fox's Emanuel Lauded Rob Portman's “Interesting Background” Overseeing Federal Budget

Fox's Emanuel: Portman Has “Done The Budget From The Administration Side Of Things.” On Fox News' Happening Now, chief congressional correspondent Mike Emanuel discussed lawmakers selected to sit on a congressional committee charged with reducing future deficits and said:

EMANUEL: And then you have Senator Rob Portman from Ohio. He has an interesting background, because he served as the head of the Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush. So he has not only legislative experience, but he's done the budget from the administration side of things. [Fox News, Happening Now, 8/10/11]

But Under Portman's Watch, The Federal Deficit More Than Doubled

PolitiFact: Fiscal Deficit More Than Doubled While Portman Was At OMB. Assessing criticism of Portman during the 2010 Ohio Senate race, PolitiFact determined that it was “fair game” to point out that the deficit more than doubled while Portman was OMB director during the Bush administration:

As for the deficit, we turned to OMB historical tables. As OMB director from May 26, 2006, to August 3, 2007, Portman was deeply involved in the fiscal year 2008 budget process. (The fiscal 2007 budget would have been handled by his predecessor.)

The fiscal 2008 deficit of nearly $459 billion was more than twice the fiscal 2007 deficit, which approached $161 billion.[PolitiFact, 9/7/10]