Washington, D.C. – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today honored three Members of Congress from South Carolina as Taxpayer Heroes in its 2008 Congressional Ratings; Gresham Barrett with 87 percent, Bob Inglis with 85 percent, and Joe Wilson with 85 percent.  The average for the entire House was 35 percent, which makes their achievements 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 2008 Congressional Ratings cover the voting year 2008, the second session of the 110^th Congress.  CCAGW rated 48 key votes in the House and 42 in the Senate.

“Reps. Barrett, Inglis and Wilson can always be counted upon to put the interests of taxpayers ahead of politics.  They consistently vote to cut wasteful spending, reduce the tax burden, and make government more accountable to taxpayers,” said CCAGW President Tom Schatz.  “The 2008 Congressional Ratings show that many elected officials continue to demonstrate little regard for the harmful effect a large and cumbersome federal government has on taxpayers’ wallets.  Out-of-control spending reigned over Capitol Hill, leading to a record $1.6 trillion deficit in fiscal year 2009, and an $11.8 trillion national debt.  These members of Congress’s votes give taxpayers hope for the future and taxpayers in their districts should count themselves lucky.  We commend them,” concluded Schatz.  House Democrats scored an average of 6 percent; House Republicans scored an average of 70 percent.  In the Senate, the average for Democrats was 4 percent, and Republicans averaged 72 percent. 

CCAGW’s website, www.ccagw.org, features the complete 2008 Congressional Ratings, including vote descriptions, scorecards for the House and Senate, and averages by chamber, party, and state delegation.  In 2007, there were three House members with a perfect score.  In 2008, there were 59 “Taxpayer Heroes” with a grade of 80 percent or above, the same as in 2007.  The big difference was in the number of members with a perfectly abysmal score of zero.  In 2007, there were only two House members with a zero rating.  In 2008, however, the number of members with a score of zero skyrocketed to 34; a 1,600 percent increase and an indication of growing partisanship as all of them are Democrats. 

In 2006 and 2007, there were no “Taxpayer Super Heroes” (scoring 100 percent) in the Senate, and, unfortunately, that did not change for 2008.  There were, however, a total of 14 “Taxpayer Heroes,” one fewer than the 15 in 2007.  The two highest scores were achieved by Senators Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) at 98 percent.  There were 17 senators with a score of zero, compared to 13 in 2007. 

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.