(Alexandria, VA) -- With their ascension to arguably the most coveted Committee in the Senate (Appropriations), self-described "fiscally conservative" lawmakers tend to drift away from spending restraint: that's the conclusion of a study released today by the non-partisan National Taxpayers Union (NTU).
"It is clear that once a Senator earns this plum committee assignment, his or her record on fiscal restraint can suffer significantly," said NTU Policy Associate and study author Sam Batkins. "As Members of both parties in Congress settle into their committee assignments for 2005, these findings are not encouraging for taxpayers seeking a change in Washington's tax-and-spend mentality."
The study utilized data from NTU's annual Rating of Congress, which is based on every roll call vote affecting fiscal policy, and which assigns "Taxpayer Scores" to lawmakers that reflect their commitment to reducing or controlling the burden of the federal government. Batkins compared the relative rank of each "Taxpayer Score" for Members of the Appropriations Committee from their freshman year in the Senate, with the average rank during their first two-year term on the Committee. Results from NTU's most recent Rating (2003), along with NTU Rating grades from various years, were also studied to track whether Members improved from their freshman year in the Senate. Highlights of the study include:
- Only one Republican Appropriations Committee Member (Mitch McConnell, R-KY) among the 12 studied improved from their initial NTU rank to their first two-year term on the Committee, while 10 slid backward (the ranking for Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-TX, did not change).
- For Republicans the first two years on the Appropriations Committee were associated with an average slippage in rank of 8.42 places in the NTU Rating, versus their first year in the Senate. In the case of some (Arlen Specter, R-PA, with a rank of 72), their first Committee term rivaled an average Democrat's performance.
- With a loss of 23 places, Sen. Thad Cochran's (R-MS) ranking slipped the most (from 21 to 44) among Republicans, while Sen. Mike DeWine's (R-OH) ranking eroded the least at just two places (32 to 34).
- Despite some initial slippage of his ranking, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) was the only Member of the Committee to receive an "A" grade in NTU's 2003 Rating, and has done so on more occasions than any other Senator on the panel (earning a total of eight "A" grades during his 11 years of service).
- Democratic Appropriations Committee Members saw an average erosion of their rankings (9.00) that was only slightly poorer than their Republican colleagues, but by most other measurements they fared much worse. Every Minority Member on the Committee earned an "F" grade in the 2003 NTU Rating.
- The highest NTU-ranked Democrat on the Committee for 2003, now-retired Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-SC), held 57th place. Other Minority Members received rankings as poor as 96 (Richard Durbin, D-IL), 98 (Barbara Mikulski, D-MD), 99 (Daniel Inouye, D-HI), and 100 (Byron Dorgan, D-ND).
"Given rising public concern over increased federal spending and the deepening national debt, Appropriators should curb their appetite for pork," Batkins concluded. "Many lawmakers don't seem to be alarmed by Washington's expanding waistline, but the taxpayers who must pick up the tab for this unbalanced diet are eager to trim the Capitol's beltway bulges."
NTU was founded in 1969 to work for lower taxes and smaller government. Note: NTU Issue Brief 152,Trend to Spend: How Appropriations Committee Members Measure Up (and Down) with Taxpayers, is available at www.ntu.org.