TCS Releases Annual Congressional Scorecard on Wasteful Spending and Fiscal Responsibility

87% of Registered Voters Consider Record of Member of Congress on Cutting Government Waste Important

Washington, D.C. - Most registered voters consider a Member of Congress's voting record on cutting government waste important, according to new opinion survey (TCS Action ‘99 Survey) released today by Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS) Action, a national budget watchdog organization.

The survey found that 87% of registered voters consider a voting record on cutting government waste "important" in deciding whether or not to reelect their Member of Congress, based on a national survey of 780 self-identified registered voters conducted July 12-16, 2000 by ICR Research of Media, Pennsylvania.

"Most voters feel it is important that their Member of Congress cuts wasteful spending," said Ralph DeGennaro, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS) Action. "Standing up for taxpayers over special interests is not only fiscally responsible, but also good politics."

In conjunction with the survey (TCS Action ‘99 Survey), TCS Action also released today the latest version of the group's easy-to-use tool to rate their Members of Congress on cutting wasteful spending and promoting fiscal responsibility. The Common Sense Taxpayer Scorecard, available exclusively at www.taxpayer.net, is the most interactive and user-friendly taxpayer scorecard on the Web.

"Congress needs to know that reducing government waste and promoting fiscal responsibility are important and taxpayers need to know which Members of Congress are really looking after their money," continued DeGennaro.

With projected surpluses in Washington, pork barrel spending lures many Members of Congress to waste the taxpayer's money on low-priority programs and fiscally reckless policies. But others resist this terrible temptation to fritter away American tax dollars. These representatives and senators recognize that taxpayers want wasteful spending cut and the $5 trillion national debt reduced.

The Scorecard tallies dozens of votes aimed at promoting sound fiscal policy, and cutting wasteful government spending and subsidies. The votes cover a broad variety of categories, including agriculture, budget, corporate welfare, emergency spending, international affairs, military, public lands, public works, science and social programs.

TCS Action scrutinized 53 key House votes 40 key Senate votes from the first session of the 106th Congress that have the potential to save taxpayers billions of dollars. The top-scoring 10 Senators and 60 representatives for the year are designated Taxpayer Heroes.

"TCS Action commends all the taxpayer heroes and urges folks to get on the internet and judge the votes for themselves," DeGennaro concluded. "Members of both parties and with widely varying ideological philosophies scored well. This shows that the reforms scored by TCS Action can happen with bipartisan cooperation and support."

The full scorecard and detailed results of the national opinion survey can be found on the Web at: www.taxpayer.net. Print summaries of the Scorecard are available for journalists by calling 202-546-8500 ext. 114

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