By USDR
The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today released its 2014 Congressional Ratings, highlighting the voting records of all 535 members of Congress. The report, which CCAGW has issued since 1989, identifies members whose voting records helped protect and save the taxpayers’ money, as well as those who consistently voted against their interests.
CCAGW scored 85 votes in the House of Representatives and 13 votes in the Senate for the second session of the 113th Congress. By comparison, in 2013, CCAGW rated 80 votes in the House and 48 votes in the Senate. 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% Taxpayer Super Hero.
In 2014, 17 lawmakers (nine senators and eight representatives) earned the coveted title of “Taxpayer Super Hero” with perfect scores of 100 percent: Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.); and Reps. Kerry Bentivolio (R-Mich.), Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Ed Royce (R-Calif.), Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.), and Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.). In 2013, Sens. Johnson, Scott, and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) earned 100 percent ratings. There were no “Taxpayer Super Heroes” in the House in 2013.
“CCAGW applauds the Taxpayer Super Heroes for their votes to cut wasteful spending and make government more accountable to taxpayers. In today’s fiscal climate, the actions of these members are refreshing, and their constituents should offer them hardy congratulations. On the other hand, far too many members of Congress in 2014 continued to support a further expansion of the bureaucratic morass at the expense of hard-working taxpayers. Hopefully, these profligate members will vote more often in 2015 to eliminate the waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement that runs rampant in Washington,” said CCAGW President Tom Schatz.
An online version of the 2014 Congressional Ratings with full vote descriptions is available at ratings.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.
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