Reid: Ryan budget is ‘modern Koch-topia’

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday used the release of Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) budget to renew his attacks on the conservative donors Charles and David Koch.

Reid said the Ryan budget is a “Koch-topia” because it helps the rich at the expense of the poor.

“It’s a modern Koch-topia,” Reid said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “We might as well call it the Koch budget.”

{mosads}Ryan’s budget, released Tuesday morning, will be his final fiscal blueprint before an expected move next year to the Ways and Means Committee, which deals primarily with taxes. [READ RYAN’S BUDGET PROPOSAL.]

As they have done in the past, Democrats hope to use the budget proposal as a weapon against Republicans in the midterm elections.

They are also seeking to attack the Koch brothers, the billionaire industrialists who are spending millions of dollars on campaign ads helping Republicans, in addition to being major financial backers of conservative groups in Washington.

Reid said he found out Monday that the Kochs plan to run ads against him in Nevada, despite the fact that he isn’t up for reelection until 2016.

“April Fools Day arrived a day early,” Reid said. “It’s a fool’s errand for the Koch brothers to think they can use their money against me.”

Reid said the Kochs are funneling money to a group called American Encore that will run ads against him accusing him of attacking their right to free speech.

“I was informed the Koch brothers are at it again,” Reid said. “One of their puppet organizations I’m told is going to run commercials against me in Nevada. … They may not know this but I’m not running for anything.”