"Meet the Press" host David Gregory caught Congressman Kirk in a fiscal lie, grilling him on his honesty and veracity when it comes to wanting to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

Gregory to Kirk: "Now, here was a key part of that.  "Tax cuts should only be extended tem-- temporarily and limited to those that are due to expire in 2004."  Key point, "We simply can’t afford permanent and across the board extensions, at this time."  That’s what you said then.  When the debt was about one third of what it was today.  Congressman, how can we afford to make permanent tax extensions now, the Bush tax cuts, in this climate?"

Giannoulias added: "The congressman has told some real whoppers in this campaign, but that might be the biggest one of all. Saying you're a fiscal hawk doesn't necessarily make it true, and your voting record shows it's not true." [VIDEO]

The truth is that Congressman Kirk wants to spend more, borrow more and lie about his failed economic record more.

KIRK LIE:  I’m a fiscal conservative and budget hawk.

THE TRUTH:  Congressman Kirk calls himself a fiscal conservative, but that didn't stop him from voting for every one of George W. Bush's budgets that took the country from a $236 billion budget surplus in 2000 to record deficits over the next decade.  When Kirk took office, the CBO predicted that the surplus would reach $5.6 trillion over the next decade.  But Bush and Kirk's irresponsible spending turned a historic budget surplus into a record $458 billion deficit by 2008. [HCR83, Vote 104, 5/9/01; HCR353, Vote 79, 3/20/02; HCR95, Vote 141, 4/11/03; SCR95, Vote 198, 5/19/04; HCR95, Vote 149, 4/28/05; HR4241, Vote 601, 11/18/05; HCR376, Vote 158, 5/18/06; SCR 21, Vote 377, 5/16/07; New York Times, 1/30/03; Office of Management and Budget; Congressional Budget Office]

As the unemployment rate stands in the double digits, Mark Kirk's plan to solve the problem is to ship more American jobs overseas.  That's why he voted six times to protect tax loopholes that reward American companies for shipping jobs overseas. [Bureau of Labor Statistics; HR1586, Vote 518, 8/10/10; HR4213, Vote 324, 5/28/10; HR4520, Vote 258, 6/17/04; HR4931, Vote 247, 6/21/02; HR2871, Vote 120, 5/1/02; HR3529, Vote 509, 12/19/01]

Despite Mark Kirk's claims that he only supports deficit-neutral legislation, he voted against reestablishing pay-as-you-go budgeting in the House. [HR2920, Vote 612, 7/22/09; HJR45, Vote 48, 2/4/10]

KIRK LIE:  I stopped wasteful pork barrel earmarks.

THE TRUTH:  Congressman Kirk has voted for billions in earmarks during his ten years in Washington.

KIRK LIE:  I stopped the Bridge to Nowhere.

THE TRUTH:  Congressman Kirk voted for the Bridge to Nowhere twice before he came out against it.  [HR3550, Vote 114, 4/2/05; HR3, House Vote 453, 7/29/05]