WAshington, D.C.--Congressman Walt Minnick was named a “Taxpayer Hero” today by Citizens Against Government Waste, a national watchdog group that tracks votes on pork barrel spending. The following is a press release from the group:
NEWS
For Immediate Release Contacts: Leslie K. Paige 202-467-5334
August 10, 2010 MacMillin Slobodien 202-267-5305
Taxpayer Watchdog Group Names Rep. Walt Minnick
“Taxpayer Hero”
Scores 83 Percent on CCAGW’s Congressional Ratings
(Washington, D.C.) – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today honored Rep. Walt Minnick (D-Idaho) as the lone Democratic Taxpayer Hero in Congress for scoring 83 percent on its 2009 Congressional Ratings. The average for the entire House was 31 percent, and the average for the Senate was 39 percent; this makes the Rep. Minnick’s achievement that much more impressive. Since 1989, CCAGW has tracked roll call votes to separate the taxpayer advocates in Congress from those who favor wasteful programs and pork-barrel spending.
The 2009 Congressional Ratings cover the voting year 2009, the first session of the 111th Congress. CCAGW rated 120 key votes in the House and 74 in the Senate.
“Rep. Minnick is the first Democratic Taxpayer Hero since 2006 and deserves special recognition for this achievement. His vote rating shows that is it not impossible for Democrats to vote to cut wasteful spending, reduce the tax burden, and make government more accountable to taxpayers, and it stands in stark contrast to the average of 4 percent for his House colleagues,” said CCAGW President Tom Schatz. “Unlike members of Congress who talk about voting to cut waste back home but then vote to raise taxes and spending in Washington, Rep. Minnick has been consistent in both his rhetoric and his actions. If more of his Democratic colleagues voted as he did last year, the budget deficit and national debt would both be lower.”
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. In the House, there were a total of seven “Taxpayer Super Heroes,” with a grade of 100 percent. In 2008, there was one House member with a perfect score. In 2009, there were 89 “Taxpayer Heroes” 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 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.
From 2006 through 2008, there were no “Taxpayer Super Heroes” (scoring 100 percent) in the Senate, but fortunately there were two in 2009, Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.). There were a total of 29 “Taxpayer Heroes,” 52 percent greater than the 14 in 2008. The two next highest scores were achieved by 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.
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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Minnick Named "Taxpayer Hero" by Watchdog Group
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