(Washington, D.C.) – Today, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) issued a statement applauding House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for their selections to the 12-member congressional “super committee” tasked with identifying $1.5 trillion in deficit reductions by November 23, 2011.  Speaker Boehner tapped Representatives Dave Camp (R-Mich.), Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), and Fred Upton (R-Mich.), while Sen. McConnell chose Senators Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and Pat Toomey (R-Penn.).  Each selection is likely to serve the interests of taxpayers well.  The four Republican selections who served in Congress in 2010 – Sen. Kyl and Reps. Upton, Camp, and Hensarling – earned a combined 94 percent rating from CCAGW that year for their voting records on issues related to federal spending, government waste, and taxes for that year.  Sens. Portman and Toomey were not in Congress in 2010, but both have accrued an exemplary record of support for pro-taxpayer policies.

In addition, the Republican choices for the committee have good records of resisting the temptation to secure pork-barrel spending, a practice that often serves as a good indicator of a member’s approach to fiscal issues.  When it came to snagging pork at the expense of taxpayers, each of the Republican picks ranks near the bottom of all members of Congress.  In 2010, Reps. Upton and Camp ranked 355^th and 394^th, respectively, out of 435 representatives, while Rep. Hensarling did not request a single earmark.  Sen. Kyl ranked 94^th among Senators; 93 of his colleagues requested more pork. 

Conversely, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) appointed six representatives from their party with voting records that should give taxpayers pause.  The Democratic committee selections received just a 9 percent overall average rating from CCAGW last year, and several were busy fleecing taxpayers in order to pay for pet projects back home.  For example, Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.) managed to grab $241 and $224 million in earmarks for their own states, respectively.  Sen. Kerry ranked 12^th among all senators in the number of projects requested, while Sen. Baucus ranked 10^th.

“We are encouraged by these Republican nominations to the deficit reduction committee,” said CCAGW President Tom Schatz.  “These are members who, based on their voting records, recognize that the United States has arrived at the precipice of this crisis because of runaway spending, rather than a lack of revenue, and who are prepared to act accordingly in determining the best course for reducing the deficit.”   

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.