Washington, D.C. – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today honored Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-MN) as a Taxpayer Hero for scoring 80 percent on its 2006 Congressional Ratings.  The average for the entire House hit a new low at 29 percent, making Rep. Ramstad’s achievement that much more impressive.  Since 1991, CCAGW has tracked roll call votes to separate the taxpayer advocates in Congress from those who favor wasteful programs and pork-barrel spending.  As one of 41 representatives with a score of 80 percent or higher, Rep. Ramstad consistently voted to cut wasteful spending, reduce the tax burden, and make government more accountable to taxpayers. 

“Actions speak louder than words,” CCAGW President Tom Schatz said.  “The way a member chooses to vote is the best indicator of whether a professed commitment to fiscal discipline is real.”

The 2006 Congressional Ratings cover the voting year 2006, the second session of the 109^th Congress.  CCAGW rated 44 key votes in the House.  Rep. Ramstad supported several amendments in the House offered by Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) that, if successful, would have removed $35.3 million worth of pork-barrel projects from appropriations bills.  Other votes included: the legislative line-item veto, earmark reform, a tax reconciliation bill that would have extended about $70 billion in tax cuts over five years, a reduction in the estate tax, and “net neutrality.”

“Rep. Ramstad puts the interests of taxpayers ahead of politics by recognizing the long-term consequences of excessive spending and working to reduce the enormous debt being left to future generations,” Schatz continued. 

“When Congress had opportunities to vote for amendments that would have removed blatantly parochial special-interest projects and demonstrated that they were finally addressing spending and ethics problems, Rep. Ramstad went against the grain and voted ‘yes.’  At the time that CCAGW ratings on cutting wasteful spending and taxes reached the abyss, Rep. Ramstad gives taxpayers hope for the future,” Schatz concluded.  

CCAGW’s website features the complete 2006 Congressional Ratings, including vote descriptions, scorecards for the House and Senate, personalized scorecards for each member of Congress, and averages by chamber, party, and state delegation.  Visit www.ccagw.org. 

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste 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.