Washington, D.C. – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today released its 2006 Congressional Ratings.  Since 1991, CCAGW has examined roll-call votes to separate the taxpayer advocates in Congress from those who favor wasteful programs and pork-barrel spending. 

The 2006 Congressional Ratings cover the voting year 2006, or the second session of the 109^th Congress.  CCAGW rated 44 key votes in the House.  Significantly, 19 amendments in the House offered by Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) that would have removed $35.3 million worth of pork-barrel projects from appropriations bills were rated.  On average, 68 members voted for Rep. Flake’s amendments, which contributed to the entire House dipping to a new low of 29 percent – a 16 point decrease from 2005.  House Republicans averaged 46 percent – a drop of 27 points from 2005; House Democrats averaged 9 percent – a drop of 4 points since 2005.  Other key House votes included the legislative line-item veto, a tax reconciliation bill that would have extended about $70 billion in tax cuts over five years, a budget that would have saved $6.8 billion over five years by reducing the rate of growth in mandatory spending, a reduction in the estate tax, oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and “net neutrality.”

CCAGW used 21 key votes in the Senate, including votes to reduce spending in appropriations bills, earmark reform, capping damage awards in medical liability lawsuits, and repealing the estate tax.  The entire Senate had an average rating of 44 percent – a two point decrease from 2005.  Senate Republicans averaged 68 percent; Senate Democrats averaged 15 percent.

There was only one Taxpayer Super Hero with a score of 100 percent:  Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.).  Taxpayer Heroes are members who scored between 80 and 99 percent.  The total number of Heroes in the House dropped from 51 in 2005 to 39 in 2006.  The number of Heroes in the Senate rose from 9 in 2005 to 19 in 2006.

“It should come as no surprise that Congress’s approval rating has taken a nose dive at the same time as the ratings on cutting wasteful spending and taxes reached the abyss.  When representatives and senators had an opportunity to vote for amendments that would have removed blatantly parochial special-interest projects and demonstrated that they were finally addressing spending and ethics problems, the vast majority voted ‘no,’” CCAGW President Tom Schatz said.  “Members of Congress who are dismayed by their rating may wish to keep those thoughts in mind when they vote in the 110^th Congress.”

CCAGW’s website features the complete 2006 Congressional Ratings, including vote descriptions, scorecards for the House and Senate, personalized scorecards for each member of Congress, and averages by chamber, party, and state delegation.  Visit www.cagw.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.