CCAGW Names Congressman Paul Broun “Taxpayer Hero”

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today honored Representative Paul Broun (R-Ga.) as a Taxpayer Hero for scoring 95 percent on its 2011 Congressional Ratings. The average for the entire House was 44 percent. 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.

“Actions speak louder than words,” said CCAGW President Tom Schatz. “Rep. Broun demonstrated his true commitment to fiscal discipline through his voting record, as well as leading the effort to change the culture of wasteful spending in the nation’s capital.”

CCAGW’s 2011 Congressional Ratings scored 120 votes in the House and 38 votes in the Senate. By comparison, in 2010, CCAGW rated 46 votes in the House and 62 votes in the Senate. The shift in vote numbers is largely due to an uptick in the number of important spending cut votes in the Republican-led House, as well as a scarcity of substantive votes in the Democratic-led Senate. CCAGW rates members on a 0 to 100 percent scale. Members are placed in the following categories: 0-19% Hostile; 20-39% Unfriendly; 40-59% Lukewarm; 60-79% Friendly; 80-99% Taxpayer Hero; 100% Taxpayer Super Hero.

“In 2011 Rep. Broun was an invaluable ally for taxpayers and anyone who abhors bloated government,” added Schatz. “He is a staunch advocate for free enterprise and for limited, efficient government, as evidenced by his votes to end misguided programs like $1.2 billion for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter alternate engine and $250 million for the Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program.

“Vigilance on cutting deficits and reducing the debt has never been more essential, but many members in 2011 were complicit in Congress’s third consecutive trillion-dollar budget deficit and rapidly growing national debt. Fortunately, members like Rep. Broun were working hard to cut wasteful spending, reduce taxes, and make government more accountable. On behalf of taxpayers, we thank Rep. Broun for his efforts,” Schatz concluded.

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.