Taxpayer Watchdog Group Releases 2009 Congressional Ratings

(Washington, D.C.) – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today released its 2009 Congressional Ratings, highlighting the voting records of all 535 members of Congress.  The report identifies members whose stellar voting records protecting taxpayers and saving money have won them the moniker of Taxpayer Hero and Super Hero.  CCAGW’s 2009 Congressional Ratings also name hundreds of members who consistently voted against the fiscal interest of taxpayers.

CCAGW’s 2009 Congressional Ratings scored 120 votes in the House and 74 in the Senate.  The average for the entire House was 31 percent (a 4 percentage point drop from 2008).  The average for the Senate was 39 percent (a one percentage point drop from 2008).  This year marks the twenty-first anniversary of the Congressional Ratings. 

The 2009 Congressional Ratings cover the voting year 2009, the first session of the 111th Congress.  CCAGW rates members on a 0 to 100 percent scale.  Members are placed in the following categories: 0-19 percent Hostile; 20-39 percent Unfriendly; 40-59 percent Lukewarm; 60-79 percent Friendly; 80-99 percent Taxpayer Hero; 100 percent Taxpayer Super Hero.  CCAGW’s website, www.ccagw.org, features the complete 2009 Congressional Ratings, including vote descriptions, scorecards for the House and Senate, and averages by chamber, party, and state delegation. 

There were a total of seven House “Taxpayer Super Heroes,” with a grade of 100 percent:  Reps. Paul Broun (R-Ga.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Mike Pence (R-Ind.), John Shadegg (R-Ariz.), and Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.).  In 2009, there were 89 “Taxpayer Heroes” in the House with a grade of 80 percent or above, a 51 percent increase from the 59 in 2008.  The big difference was in the number of Democratic House members with a perfectly abysmal score of zero.  In 2008 there were only 34.  In 2009, however, the number of members with a score of zero skyrocketed to 105, which is 41 percent of the 256 House Democrats.  The lone Democrat in the Taxpayer Hero category was Rep. Walt Minnick (D-Idaho), with 83 percent.  

From 2006 through 2008, there were no Senate “Taxpayer Super Heroes” (scoring 100 percent), but fortunately there were two in 2009, Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.).  There were a total of 29 Senate “Taxpayer Heroes,” 52 percent greater than the 14 in 2008.  The two next highest performers were Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) at 99 percent.  There were no senators with a score of zero, compared to 17 in 2008. 

“Taxpayer Heroes and Super Heroes demonstrated unparalleled commitment to cutting wasteful spending, reducing the tax burden, and make government more accountable to taxpayers,” said CCAGW President Tom Schatz.  “Their ratings are even more impressive given the record number of votes rated by CCAGW and the record number of representatives who could not vote even once to cut wasteful spending or taxes.  While far too many members of Congress on both sides of the Capitol demonstrated little regard for the consequences of failing to reduce the record $1.4 trillion deficit and $13 trillion debt, the Taxpayer Heroes and Super Heroes give taxpayers hope for the future.” 

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.