(Washington, D.C.) – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today released its 2017 Congressional Ratings, highlighting the voting records of all 535 voting members of Congress during the first session of the 115th Congress.  The report, which CCAGW has issued since 1989, identifies members whose voting records helped protect taxpayer dollars, as well as those who consistently voted against their interests.

CCAGW 2017 Congressional Ratings Facts:

CCAGW rates members on a 0 to 100 percent scale.  Members are placed in the following categories:

• Hostile: 0-19 percent.
• Unfriendly: 20-39 percent.
• Lukewarm: 40-59 percent.
• Friendly: 60-79 percent.
• Taxpayer Hero: 80-99 percent.
• Taxpayer Super Hero: 100 percent.
• In 2017, CCAGW scored 93 votes in the House of Representatives and 27 votes in the Senate.  
  • In 2016, CCAGW rated 65 votes in the House and 16 votes in the Senate.
• In 2017, just one senator earned the coveted title of “Taxpayer Super Hero” with a perfect score of 100 percent:  Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.). 
  • In 2016, four senators earned “Taxpayer Super Hero” status.
• Eleven representatives earned perfect scores of 100 percent. 
  • Reps. Dave Brat (R-Va.), Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Gary Palmer (R-Ala.), Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Francis Rooney (R-Fla.), Steve Scalise (R-La.), Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), and Ted Yoho (R-Fla.).
  • In 2016, no representatives earned 100 percent.  
• At the other end of the spectrum, 39 representatives and 30 senators earned an abysmal score of zero in 2017.

CCAGW President Tom Schatz said in a statement:

“We applaud the Taxpayer Heroes for their votes to cut wasteful spending and make government more accountable to taxpayers.  The actions of these members are an encouraging sign in the current fiscal situation, and their constituents should congratulate them.  However, there are still far too many lawmakers who supported expanding the federal bureaucratic behemoth at taxpayer expense in 2017.  Hopefully, these reckless spenders will change their swinish ways in 2018 and vote to eliminate the widespread waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement that still plagues Washington.”

An online version of the 2017 Congressional Ratings with full vote descriptions is available at ccagwratings.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.