Sen. Jim DeMint got yet another award for his strong principles on taxes and spending. I’m glad to see Sen. get recognition, yet I’m disappointed that there aren’t more conservatives in Washington to share these awards with.
National Taxpayers Union: For Immediate Release, Thursday, Contact:, Pete Sepp, Natasha Altamirano (703) 683-5700
Senator Jim DeMint Honored as “Taxpayers’ Best Friend” for Third Year in a Row
WASHINGTON – The nation’s largest taxpayer group today recognized Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) for achieving the best pro-taxpayer voting record in the U.S. Senate last year. The 362,000-member National Taxpayers Union (NTU), a nonpartisan citizen group, has announced that Sen. DeMint was the top Senate scorer in its annual Rating of Congress for the third year in a row.
“If every Member of Congress voted as responsibly as Sen. DeMint did in 2008, Americans would enjoy much lower taxes and less government waste,” NTU President Duane Parde said. “Jim DeMint’s record speaks for itself: He has truly earned the title of ‘Taxpayers’ Best Friend.’”
Sen. DeMint is among only a few dozen 2008 “Taxpayers’ Friend Award” recipients out of the entire House of Representatives and Senate. The award is given to Representatives and Senators who achieve an “A” grade in NTU’s annual Rating of Congress. The Rating, which is based on every roll call vote affecting fiscal policy, assigns a “Taxpayer Score” to each Member of Congress that indicates his or her support for reducing or controlling federal spending, taxes, debt, and regulation. For 2008, a total of 182 House and 104 Senate votes were selected.
“Jim DeMint’s pro-taxpayer score of 96 percent was the highest in the entire Senate,” Parde continued. “By consistently voting to reduce federal spending, taxes, and debt, Sen. DeMint has demonstrated he is a true leader in the fight to defend overburdened taxpayers across the nation.”
Between 2007 and 2008, the average “Taxpayer Score” in the House rose slightly from 35 percent to 36 percent. The Senate’s average dropped by five points, from 37 percent to 32 percent. In 2008, 48 lawmakers attained scores sufficient to win the “Taxpayers’ Friend Award” (at least 80 percent in the House and 76 percent in the Senate). Meanwhile, a record 267 Senators and Representatives captured the title of “Big Spender” for posting “F” grades (scores of 25 percent or less in the House and 14 percent or less in the Senate).
Unlike those of other organizations, NTU’s annual Rating does not simplistically focus on only a handful of equally weighted “key votes.” For this reason, it has received praise from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including the late Sen. (and “Golden Fleece Award” creator) William Proxmire (D-WI).
“Given today’s economic climate, fiscal discipline is more important now than ever,” Parde concluded. “Hard-working families in South Carolina and across the country owe Jim DeMint a debt of gratitude for his hard work on their behalf.”
NTU is a nonpartisan, nonprofit citizen group founded in 1969 to work for lower taxes, smaller government, and economic freedom at all levels. Note: The 2008 Rating and a searchable Rating database from 1992 to 2008 is available at www.ntu.org.
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