Pullen for the Party

PULLEN CONGRATULATES FLAKE, FRANKS, AND SHADEGG;

CHIDES MITCHELL AND GIFFORDS ON ANNUAL CLUB FOR GROWTH “RePORK” CARD

PHOENIX, AZ – Randy Pullen, chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, congratulated Arizona Members of Congress Jeff Flake, Trent Franks, and John Shadegg for their efforts in combating wasteful “pork” spending in Congress. Flake, Franks, and Shadegg were part of a group of just 16 out of 435 Members of Congress who earned perfect 100% ratings on the annual Club for Growth “RePORK” scorecard.

“The outstanding scores, earned by three Republican members of our congressional delegation, show very clearly that when it comes to reducing wasteful government spending, it’s Arizona Republicans that are leading the nation,” said Pullen. “I congratulate Jeff Flake, Trent Franks, and John Shadegg for the amazing work they are doing on behalf of the people of Arizona. Please keep up the great work.”

In contrast, Arizona freshmen members of Congress Harry Mitchell and Gabrielle Giffords earned an abysmal 2% scores from the Club for Growth, having voted for only one out of the fifty anti-pork measures.

“It is disappointing that both Harry Mitchell and Gabrielle Giffords are two of the biggest offenders in the United States Congress when it comes to reckless earmark spending,” said Pullen. “During the campaign last year, Democrats like Mitchell and Giffords promised to change Washington. Then, as soon as they arrived, they turned their backs on the very people that elected them. Clearly, Harry Mitchell and Gabrielle Giffords have no respect for the office, their constituents, or the hard-earned dollars of the Arizona taxpayers whose trust they are betraying. With report cards like these, it’s no wonder that Mitchell and Giffords have helped to bring congressional approval ratings to their lowest point in history,” concluded Pullen.

For more information, please contact Brett Mecum at 602.957.7770 or at [email protected].

Watchdog Group Names Jeff Flake a "Taxpayer Superhero"

Scores 100 Percent on CCAGW’s Congressional Ratings

Washington, D.C. – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today honored Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) as a Taxpayer Superhero for scoring 100 percent on its 2006 Congressional Ratings. The average for the entire House hit a new low at 29 percent, making Rep. Flake’s achievement that much more impressive. Since 1991, CCAGW has tracked roll call votes to separate the taxpayer advocates in Congress from those who favor wasteful programs and pork-barrel spending. As the only member of Congress with a score of 100 percent and Congress’s only Superhero, Rep. Flake consistently voted to cut wasteful spending, reduce the tax burden, and make government more accountable to taxpayers.

“Actions speak louder than words,” CCAGW President Tom Schatz said. “Rep. Flake demonstrated his true commitment to fiscal discipline through his voting record, as well as his leadership in changing the culture of wasteful spending in the nation’s capital.”

The 2006 Congressional Ratings cover the voting year 2006, the second session of the 109th Congress. CCAGW rated 44 key votes in the House. Nineteen of those votes were on amendments that Rep. Flake offered in the House which, if successful, would have removed $35.3 million worth of pork-barrel projects from appropriations bills. Other 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.”

“Rep. Flake puts the interests of the nation’s taxpayers ahead of personal politics by calling attention to and challenging other members’ wasteful earmarks. He recognizes the long-term consequences of excessive spending and works to reduce the enormous debt being left to future generations,” Schatz continued.

“Rep. Flake went against the grain to force votes on amendments that would have removed blatantly parochial special-interest projects and finally address spending and ethics problems. At the time that members’ ratings on cutting wasteful spending and taxes reached the abyss, Superhero Jeff Flake gives taxpayers hope for the future,” Schatz concluded.

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.ccagw.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.

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Alexa Moutevelis, Media Associate / Webmaster
Citizens Against Government Waste
1301 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036
202-467-5318
www.cagw.org