WASHINGTON, DC - Looking at the legislation sponsored and cosponsored by Members of Congress for the first half of 1997, the National Taxpayers Union has found that US Representative Ron Paul (R-Surfside, Texas) is one of the taxpayers' top watchdogs.

According to information available at the NTU website, the legislation sponsored and cosponsored by Representative Paul represents no increases in government spending, and actually includes more than $17 billion in spending cuts. The only other Member of Congress who refused to sponsor or cosponsor any legislation which increases spending is Representative Ed Royce (R-California).

"The American people are taxed way too much, which hurts them and the economy. But they are also hurt by how much money the federal government spends; I refuse to take part in doing further damage to the American taxpayer and the economy," said Paul. "The federal government spends too much money and is involved in activities which are simply not allowed by our Constitution. Spending by the federal government must be reduced to the constitutional, the lawful, levels."

Paul said that while he will always vote to cut taxes, the issue of spending must be addressed soon.

"When government takes so much money out of the economy, the system is threatened and many innocent citizens suffer from bureaucrats determining the allocation of resources instead of individuals. The government's bureaucrats in Washington may think they know best how to spend other people's money, but experience shows otherwise," said Paul, citing the eventual collapse of centrally-controlled economies. "The American people work through at least June to pay for the costs of federal spending, mandates and inflation. That's immoral."

Paul pledged to continue to uphold his oath of office by determining his support for legislation based on its constitutionality.

"Some people say Congress should vote for legislation based on how many votes it will buy them in the next election. But when I took my Oath of Office, I swore to follow the Constitution, not to use the taxpayers' money to subsidize special interests."

According to the NTU, a report will be issued in early 1998 detailing the amount of spending/cuts each Member of Congress actually voted for during 1997.