Rates Congress

Every year National Taxpayers Union (NTU) rates U.S. Representatives and Senators on their actual votes—every vote that affects taxes, spending, and debt. Unlike most organizations that publish ratings, we refuse to play the “rating game” of focusing on only a handful of congressional votes on selected issues. The NTU voting study is the fairest and most accurate guide available on congressional spending.

NTU has no partisan ax to grind. All members of Congress are treated the same regardless of political affiliation. Our only constituency is the overburdened American taxpayer. Grades are given impartially, based on the Taxpayer Score.

Taxpayer Score

The Taxpayer Score measures the strength of support for reducing wasteful government spending, opposing higher taxes, and often opposing burdensome regulations that can stifle U.S. economic growth. In general, a higher score is better because it means a member of Congress voted to spend less money.

The Taxpayer Score can range between zero and 100. We do not expect anyone to score a 100, nor has any legislator ever scored a perfect 100—without missing a single vote—in the decades-long history of the comprehensive NTU scoring system. A high score does not mean that the member of Congress was opposed to all spending or all programs. High-scoring members have indicated that they would vote for many programs if the amount of spending were lower or if the spending were offset by cuts elsewhere in the budget. Indeed, a member who still wants to increase spending on some programs can achieve a high score if he or she votes for offsetting cuts. A zero score would indicate that the member of Congress approved every spending increase and opposed every pro-taxpayer reform.

  • Click here for the PDF publication of NTU Rates Congress for the first session of the 117th Congress.
  • To view the list of votes used to establish the NTU Ratings, click here.

Senate

 

Alabama

 

 

Kentucky

 

 

North Dakota

 

 

Shelby

81%

B

McConnell

66%

C+

Cramer

76%

B-

Tuberville

89%

B+

Paul

97%

A

Hoeven

77%

B-

State Average

85%

 

State Average

82%

 

State Average

77%

 

Alaska

 

 

Louisiana

 

 

Ohio

 

 

Murkowski

61%

C

Cassidy

77%

B-

Brown

7%

F

Sullivan * 

63%

C

Kennedy

84%

B

Portman

67%

C+

State Average

62%

 

State Average

81%

 

State Average

37%

 

Arizona

 

 

Maine

 

 

Oklahoma

 

 

Kelly

8%

F

Collins

62%

C

Inhofe

80%

B

Sinema

12%

F

King

9%

F

Lankford

89%

B+

State Average

10%

 

State Average

36%

 

State Average

85%

 

Arkansas

 

 

Maryland

 

 

Oregon

 

 

Boozman

83%

B

Cardin

6%

F

Merkley

10%

F

Cotton

83%

B

Van Hollen

4%

F

Wyden

10%

F

State Average

83%

 

State Average

5%

 

State Average

10%

 

California

 

 

Massachusetts

 

 

Pennsylvania

 

 

Feinstein

7%

F

Markey

8%

F

Casey

6%

F

Padilla

9%

F

Warren

7%

F

Toomey

89%

B+

State Average

8%

 

State Average

8%

 

State Average

48%

 

Colorado

 

 

Michigan

 

 

Rhode Island

 

 

Bennet

6%

F

Peters

6%

F

Reed

5%

F

Hickenlooper

7%

F

Stabenow

6%

F

Whitehouse

4%

F

State Average

7%

 

State Average

6%

 

State Average

5%

 

Connecticut

 

 

Minnesota

 

 

South Carolina

 

 

Blumenthal

6%

F

Klobuchar

7%

F

Graham

67%

C+

Murphy

6%

F

Smith

7%

F

Scott, T.

85%

B+

State Average

6%

 

State Average

7%

 

State Average

76%

 

Delaware

 

 

Mississippi

 

 

South Dakota

 

 

Carper

9%

F

Hyde-Smith

83%

B

Rounds **

66%

C+

Coons

9%

F

Wicker

69%

C+

Thune

81%

B

State Average

9%

 

State Average

76%

 

State Average

74%

 

Florida

 

 

Missouri

 

 

Tennessee

 

 

Rubio

80%

B

Blunt

62%

C

Blackburn

86%

B+

Scott, R.

85%

B+

Hawley

82%

B

Hagerty

87%

B+

State Average

83%

 

State Average

72%

 

State Average

87%

 

Georgia

 

 

Montana

 

 

Texas

 

 

Ossoff

6%

F

Daines

82%

B

Cornyn

78%

B-

Warnock

6%

F

Tester

11%

F

Cruz

92%

A

State Average

6%

 

State Average

47%

 

State Average

85%

 

Hawaii

 

 

Nebraska

 

 

Utah

 

 

Hirono

6%

F

Fischer

81%

B

Lee

98%

A

Schatz

4%

F

Sasse

80%

B

Romney

64%

C

State Average

5%

 

State Average

81%

 

State Average

81%

 

Idaho

 

 

Nevada

 

 

Vermont

 

 

Crapo

77%

B-

Cortez Masto

7%

F

Leahy

6%

F

Risch

77%

B-

Rosen

7%

F

Sanders

14%

F

State Average

77%

 

State Average

7%

 

State Average

10%

 

Illinois

 

 

New Hampshire

 

 

Virginia

 

 

Duckworth

7%

F

Hassan

11%

F

Kaine

6%

F

Durbin

6%

F

Shaheen

10%

F

Warner

6%

F

State Average

7%

 

State Average

11%

 

State Average

6%

 

Indiana

 

 

New Jersey

 

 

Washington

 

 

Braun

94%

A

Booker

6%

F

Cantwell

5%

F

Young

71%

C+

Menendez

6%

F

Murray

5%

F

State Average

83%

 

State Average

6%

 

State Average

5%

 

Iowa

 

 

New Mexico

 

 

West Virginia

 

 

Ernst

86%

B+

Heinrich

5%

F

Capito

64%

C

Grassley

79%

B-

Lujan

7%

F

Manchin

14%

F

State Average

83%

 

State Average

6%

 

State Average

39%

 

Kansas

 

 

New York

 

 

Wisconsin

 

 

Marshall

86%

B+

Gillibrand

9%

F

Baldwin

7%

F

Moran

85%

B+

Schumer

N/A

N/A

Johnson

90%

A

State Average

86%

 

State Average

9%

 

State Average

49%

 

 

 

 

North Carolina

 

 

Wyoming

 

 

 

 

 

Burr

71%

C+

Barrasso

86%

B+

 

 

 

Tillis

67%

C+

Lummis

91%

A

 

 

 

State Average

69%

 

State Average

89%

 

 

House

 

Alabama

 

 

Indiana

 

 

North Dakota

 

 

Aderholt

78%

B-

Baird

74%

C+

Armstrong

78%

B-

Brooks

84%

B

Banks

81%

B

State Average

78%

 

Carl

78%

B-

Bucshon

74%

C+

Ohio

 

 

Moore, B.

82%

B

Carson

8%

F

Balderson

75%

B-

Palmer

81%

B

Hollingsworth

74%

C+

Beatty

9%

F

Rogers, M.

75%

B-

Mrvan

8%

F

Brown, S.

N/A

N/A

Sewell

9%

F

Pence

78%

B-

Carey

N/A

N/A

State Average

70%

 

Spartz

76%

B-

Chabot

76%

B-

Alaska

 

 

Walorski

74%

C+

Davidson

82%

B

Young

63%

C

State Average

61%

 

Gibbs

77%

B-

State Average

63%

 

Iowa

 

 

Gonzalez, A.

64%

C

Arizona

 

 

Axne

6%

F

Johnson, B.

72%

C+

Biggs

87%

B+

Feenstra

74%

C+

Jordan

88%

B+

Gallego

8%

F

Hinson

74%

C+

Joyce, D.

68%

C+

Gosar

87%

B+

Miller-Meeks

71%

C+

Kaptur

6%

F

Grijalva

10%

F

State Average

56%

 

Latta

75%

B-

Kirkpatrick

6%

F

Kansas

 

 

Ryan

6%

F

Lesko *

86%

B+

Davids

6%

F

Turner

72%

C+

O'Halleran

5%

F

Estes

85%

B+

Wenstrup

75%

B-

Schweikert

83%

B

Laturner

76%

B-

State Average

60%

 

Stanton

5%

F

Mann

82%

B

Oklahoma

 

 

State Average

42%

 

State Average

62%

 

Bice

75%

B-

Arkansas

 

 

Kentucky

 

 

Cole

71%

C+

Crawford

77%

B-

Barr

75%

B-

Hern

85%

B+

Hill

74%

C+

Comer

79%

B-

Lucas

72%

C+

Westerman

76%

B-

Guthrie

74%

C+

Mullin

76%

B-

Womack

73%

C+

Massie

91%

A

State Average

76%

 

State Average

75%

 

Rogers, H.

70%

C+

Oregon

 

 

California

 

 

Yarmuth

9%

F

Bentz

72%

C+

Aguilar

8%

F

State Average

66%

 

Blumenauer

11%

F

Barragan

10%

F

Louisiana

 

 

Bonamici

12%

F

Bass

9%

F

Carter, T. **

7%

F

DeFazio

13%

F

Bera

8%

F

Graves, G.

73%

C+

Schrader

18%

F

Brownley

5%

F

Higgins, C. * 

83%

B

State Average

25%

 

Calvert

73%

C+

Johnson, M.

79%

B-

Pennsylvania

 

 

Carbajal

8%

F

Letlow **

64%

C

Boyle

7%

F

Cardenas

9%

F

Scalise

75%

B-

Cartwright

7%

F

Chu

11%

F

State Average

64%

 

Dean

8%

F

Correa

8%

F

Maine

 

 

Doyle

13%

F

Costa

6%

F

Golden

33%

D

Evans

9%

F

DeSaulnier

10%

F

Pingree

8%

F

Fitzpatrick

49%

C-

Eshoo

10%

F

State Average

21%

 

Houlahan

7%

F

Garamendi

10%

F

Maryland

 

 

Joyce, J.

75%

B-

Garcia, M.

72%

C+

Brown, A.

7%

F

Keller

76%

B-

Gomez

12%

F

Harris

85%

B+

Kelly, M.

75%

B-

Harder

8%

F

Hoyer

8%

F

Lamb

6%

F

Huffman

11%

F

Mfume

10%

F

Meuser

75%

B-

Issa

74%

C+

Raskin

11%

F

Perry *

86%

B+

Jacobs, S.

11%

F

Ruppersberger

7%

F

Reschenthaler

71%

C+

Khanna

12%

F

Sarbanes

9%

F

Scanlon

7%

F

Kim, Y.

69%

C+

Trone

4%

F

Smucker

74%

C+

LaMalfa

75%

B-

State Average

18%

 

Thompson, G.

71%

C+

Lee, B.

13%

F

Massachusetts

 

 

Wild

6%

F

Levin, M.

6%

F

Auchincloss

12%

F

State Average

40%

 

Lieu

9%

F

Clark

11%

F

Rhode Island

 

 

Lofgren

10%

F

Keating

5%

F

Cicilline

9%

F

Lowenthal

11%

F

Lynch

6%

F

Langevin

5%

F

Matsui

10%

F

McGovern

12%

F

State Average

7%

 

McCarthy

74%

C+

Moulton

6%

F

South Carolina

 

 

McClintock

89%

B+

Neal

6%

F

Clyburn

8%

F

McNerney

10%

F

Pressley

17%

F

Duncan

84%

B

Napolitano

9%

F

Trahan

9%

F

Mace

77%

B-

Nunes

73%

C+

State Average

9%

 

Norman

90%

A

Obernolte

73%

C+

Michigan

 

 

Rice, T.

82%

B

Panetta

7%

F

Bergman

74%

C+

Timmons

79%

B-

Pelosi

N/A

N/A

Dingell

10%

F

Wilson, J.

75%

B-

Peters

6%

F

Huizenga

78%

B-

State Average

71%

 

Porter

11%

F

Kildee

11%

F

South Dakota

 

 

Roybal-Allard

8%

F

Lawrence

10%

F

Johnson, D.

75%

B-

Ruiz

7%

F

Levin, A.

12%

F

State Average

75%

 

Sanchez

10%

F

McClain

75%

B-

Tennessee

 

 

Schiff

10%

F

Meijer

69%

C+

Burchett

84%

B

Sherman

8%

F

Moolenaar

74%

C+

Cohen

12%

F

Speier

8%

F

Slotkin

6%

F

Cooper

8%

F

Steel

74%

C+

Stevens

7%

F

Desjarlais

79%

B-

Swalwell

7%

F

Tlaib

18%

F

Fleischmann

73%

C+

Takano

11%

F

Upton

61%

C

Green, M.

79%

B-

Thompson

9%