The Hill News

The National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee is encouraging attendees of a town hall-event hosted by Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) to press him about his votes against five 2012 budget plans.

The NRCC sent out a mailer Tuesday with suggested questions to ask Schrader.

"Here are some questions to ask Rep. Kurt Schrader tonight at his townhall meeting," the email read. "Why did you fail to support any budget proposal this year? Isn’t Congress’s primary responsibility to pass a budget? You used to be the chief budget writer for the state of Oregon. Why can’t you put these skills to use in Congress? This is the second year in a row that you’ve failed to vote for a budget. Are you neglecting your duties as the representative of Oregon’s 5th Congressional District?"

Other questions concern how Schrader can consider himself "fiscally responsible" after voting against the conservative budget plans. One final suggestion: "What ! assurances do Oregonians have that you will start taking your job more seriously in regards to the budget?"

Schrader was one of 24 lawmakers who voted against five different 2012 budget proposals considered by the House, including the Democratic and Republican plans, conservative and liberal alternatives, and a plan from the Congressional Black Caucus. Many of the lawmakers who voted against all five plans are members of the Blue Dog coalition of conservative Democrats.

The Schrader email is part of the NRCC's latest round of radio and Web ads that targeted the 13 Democrats who voted against all five budget plans.

The NRCC and its counterpart, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, are trying to seize the advantage on the budget issue by ginning up the kind of grassroots passions that were seen during town halls in 2009 on healthcare reform.

Democrats have been targeting congressional Republicans for supporting House B! udget Committee chairman Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) 2012 budget plan! , which would make significant changes to Medicare and Medicaid.