National Taxpayers Union (NTU) has released the congressional scorecard for the first session of the 115th Congress, and it's good news for taxpayers: more pro-taxpayer votes were taken and passed in 2017 than in other recent years, and the number of "Taxpayers' Friend" awards the organization issues for top-scoring lawmakers out has skyrocketed over 2016 results. While far too many members of Congress are still failing to consistently stand up for the best interests of taxpayers, 2017 was still an important year of progress on many fiscal policy issues.
NTU awarded 66 Representatives and 15 Senators with our "Taxpayers' Friend" awards this year, up from only 15 House members and 3 Senators from our previous ratings. This reflects the number of important, pro-taxpayer bills that were voted on and passed by Congress in 2017 - including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and important regulatory reforms. At the same time, much work remains to be done. Pro-taxpayer legislation like the Financial CHOICE Act and the American Health Care Act received votes but did not make it out of Congress. So while taxpayers saw a good year, it could have been a great one.
- Click here for a printable PDF of NTU's Rates Congress 2017.
- Click here view the NTU Rates Congress Results for the 1st Session of the 115th Congress.
- You may view the 2017 list of Taxpayers' Friends in the House and Senate here.
- To view the list of votes used to establish the NTU Ratings, please click here.
- NTU's press release for the 2017 Rating is found here.
Senate
Alabama | | | Louisiana | | | North Dakota | | |
Shelby | 81% | B+ | Cassidy | 75% | B | Heitkamp | 9% | F |
Strange* | 82% | B+ | Kennedy | 80% | B+ | Hoeven | 78% | B |
State Average | 81% | State Average | 78% | State Average | 44% | |||
Alaska | | | Maine | | | Ohio | | |
Murkowski | 62% | C+ | Collins | 54% | C- | Brown | 3% | F |
Sullivan | 82% | B+ | King | 3% | F | Portman | 75% | B |
State Average | 72% | State Average | 28% | State Average | 39% | |||
Arizona | | | Maryland | | | Oklahoma | | |
Flake | 94% | A | Cardin | 3% | F | Inhofe | 86% | A |
McCain | 70% | B- | Van Hollen | 3% | F | Lankford | 94% | A |
State Average | 82% | State Average | 3% | State Average | 90% | |||
Arkansas | | | Massachusetts | | | Oregon | | |
Boozman | 78% | B | Markey | 5% | F | Merkley | 6% | F |
Cotton | 81% | B+ | Warren | 5% | F | Wyden | 5% | F |
State Average | 80% | State Average | 5% | State Average | 6% | |||
California | | | Michigan | | | Pennsylvania | | |
Feinstein* | 3% | F | Peters | 1% | F | Casey | 5% | F |
Harris | 5% | F | Stabenow | 1% | F | Toomey | 91% | A |
State Average | 4% | State Average | 1% | State Average | 48% | |||
Colorado | | | Minnesota | | | Rhode Island | | |
Bennet | 5% | F | Franken | 3% | F | Reed | 4% | F |
Gardner | 78% | B | Klobuchar | 1% | F | Whitehouse | 3% | F |
State Average | 41% | State Average | 2% | State Average | 3% | |||
Connecticut | | | Mississippi | | | South Carolina | | |
Blumenthal | 3% | F | Cochran | 81% | B+ | Graham | 83% | B+ |
Murphy | 4% | F | Wicker | 80% | B+ | Scott | 85% | A |
State Average | 4% | State Average | 81% | State Average | 84% | |||
Delaware | | | Missouri | | | South Dakota | | |
Carper | 5% | F | Blunt | 76% | B | Rounds | 79% | B+ |
Coons | 4% | F | McCaskill | 3% | F | Thune | 80% | B+ |
State Average | 5% | State Average | 40% | State Average | 79% | |||
Florida | | | Montana | | | Tennessee | | |
Nelson | 1% | F | Daines | 90% | A | Alexander | 73% | B- |
Rubio | 87% | A | Tester | 8% | F | Corker | 80% | B+ |
State Average | 44% | State Average | 49% | State Average | 76% | |||
Georgia | | | Nebraska | | | Texas | | |
Isakson | 77% | B | Fischer | 82% | B+ | Cornyn | 78% | B |
Perdue | 84% | B+ | Sasse | 88% | A | Cruz | 81% | B+ |
State Average | 80% | State Average | 85% | State Average | 80% | |||
Hawaii | | | Nevada | | | Utah | | |
Hirono | 5% | F | Cortez Masto | 6% | F | Hatch | 81% | B+ |
Schatz | 3% | F | Heller | 71% | B- | Lee | 92% | A |
State Average | 4% | State Average | 39% | State Average | 87% | |||
Idaho | | | New Hampshire | | | Vermont | | |
Crapo | 85% | A | Hassan | 3% | F | Leahy | 5% | F |
Risch | 90% | A | Shaheen | 3% | F | Sanders | 8% | F |
State Average | 88% | State Average | 3% | State Average | 6% | |||
Illinois | | | New Jersey | | | Virginia | | |
Duckworth | 3% | F | Booker | 7% | F | Kaine | 3% | F |
Durbin | 6% | F | Menendez* | 6% | F | Warner | 6% | F |
State Average | 4% | State Average | 6% | State Average | 4% | |||
Indiana | | | New Mexico | | | Washington | | |
Donnelly | 8% | F | Heinrich | 6% | F | Cantwell | 5% | F |
Young | 80% | B+ | Udall | 3% | F | Murray | 5% | F |
State Average | 44% | State Average | 4% | State Average | 5% | |||
Iowa | | | New York | | | West Virginia | | |
Ernst | 82% | B+ | Gillibrand | 8% | F | Capito | 73% | B- |
Grassley | 82% | B+ | Schumer | 4% | F | Manchin | 9% | F |
State Average | 82% | State Average | 6% | State Average | 41% | |||
Kansas | | | North Carolina | | | Wisconsin | | |
Moran | 82% | B+ | Burr | 79% | B+ | Baldwin | 3% | F |
Roberts | 78% | B | Tillis | 81% | B+ | Johnson | 88% | A |
State Average | 80% | State Average | 80% | State Average | 45% | |||
Kentucky | | | Wyoming | | | |||
McConnell | N/A | N/A | Barrasso | 85% | A | |||
Paul | 86% | A | Enzi | 85% | A | |||
State Average | 86% | State Average | 85% |
House
Alabama | | | Indiana | | | North Carolina | | |
Aderholt | 78% | B | Banks | 87% | A | Adams | 10% | F |
Brooks | 88% | A | Brooks | 77% | B | Budd | 88% | A |
Byrne | 83% | B+ | Bucshon | 78% | B | Butterfield | 11% | F |
Palmer | 88% | A | Carson | 14% | F | Foxx | 84% | B+ |
Roby | 79% | B+ | Hollingsworth | 88% | A | Holding | 86% | A |
Rogers | 77% | B | Messer | 90% | A | Hudson | 87% | A |
Sewell | 12% | F | Rokita | 89% | A | Jones | 56% | C |
State Average | 72% | Visclosky | 18% | F | McHenry | 81% | B+ | |
Alaska | | | Walorski | 84% | B+ | Meadows | 88% | A |
Young | 72% | B- | State Average | 69% | Pittenger | 85% | A | |
State Average | 72% | Iowa | | | Price | 13% | F | |
Arizona | | | Blum | 78% | B | Rouzer | 85% | A |
Biggs | 85% | A | King | 79% | B+ | Walker | 87% | A |
Franks | 86% | A | Loebsack | 17% | F | State Average | 66% | |
Gallego | 12% | F | Young | 81% | B+ | North Dakota | | |
Gosar | 90% | A | State Average | 64% | Cramer | 77% | B | |
Grijalva | 12% | F | Kansas | | | State Average | 77% | |
McSally | 78% | B | Estes** | 81% | B+ | Ohio | | |
O'Halleran | 23% | F | Jenkins | 81% | B+ | Beatty | 12% | F |
Schweikert | 88% | A | Marshall | 80% | B+ | Chabot | 87% | A |
Sinema | 30% | F | Pompeo | N/A | N/A | Davidson | 88% | A |
State Average | 56% | Yoder | 82% | B+ | Fudge | 12% | F | |
Arkansas | | | State Average | 81% | Gibbs | 83% | B+ | |
Crawford | 79% | B+ | Kentucky | | | Johnson | 76% | B |
Hill | 85% | A | Barr | 85% | A | Jordan | 88% | A |
Westerman | 85% | A | Comer | 88% | A | Joyce | 72% | B- |
Womack | 79% | B+ | Guthrie | 83% | B+ | Kaptur | 10% | F |
State Average | 82% | Massie | 84% | B+ | Latta | 82% | B+ | |
California | | | Rogers | 75% | B | Renacci | 82% | B+ |
Aguilar | 16% | F | Yarmuth | 13% | F | Ryan | 11% | F |
Barragan | 14% | F | State Average | 71% | Stivers | 74% | B | |
Becerra | N/A | N/A | Louisiana | | | Tiberi | 77% | B |
Bass | 12% | F | Abraham | 80% | B+ | Turner | 72% | B- |
Bera | 22% | F | Graves | 80% | B+ | Wenstrup | 87% | A |
Brownley | 18% | F | Higgins | 82% | B+ | State Average | 63% | |
Calvert | 79% | B+ | Johnson | 83% | B+ | Oklahoma | | |
Carbajal | 15% | F | Richmond | 15% | F | Bridenstine** | 88% | A |
Cardenas | 16% | F | Scalise** | 91% | A | Cole | 77% | B |
Chu | 15% | F | State Average | 72% | Lucas | 76% | B | |
Cook | 74% | B | Maine | | | Mullin | 84% | B+ |
Correa | 27% | F | Pingree | 10% | F | Russell | 80% | B+ |
Costa* | 38% | D | Poliquin | 74% | B | State Average | 81% | |
Davis | 16% | F | State Average | 42% | Oregon | | | |
Denham | 75% | B | Maryland | | | Blumenauer | 17% | F |
DeSaulnier | 11% | F | Brown | 12% | F | Bonamici | 17% | F |
Eshoo | 17% | F | Cummings** | 6% | F | DeFazio | 17% | F |
Garamendi | 12% | F | Delaney | 19% | F | Schrader | 32% | D |
Gomez** | 21% | F | Harris | 90% | A | Walden | 76% | B |
Huffman | 16% | F | Hoyer | 11% | F | State Average | 32% | |
Hunter | 81% | B+ | Raskin | 14% | F | Pennsylvania | | |
Issa | 73% | B- | Ruppersberger | 17% | F | Barletta | 73% | B- |
Khanna | 14% | F | Sarbanes | 12% | F | Boyle | 13% | F |
Knight | 75% | B | State Average | 23% | Brady | 12% | F | |
LaMalfa | 82% | B+ | Massachusetts | | | Cartwright | 12% | F |
Lee | 12% | F | Capuano | 15% | F | Costello | 67% | C+ |
Lieu* | 12% | F | Clark | 14% | F | Dent | 68% | B- |
Lofgren | 18% | F | Keating | 16% | F | Doyle | 13% | F |
Lowenthal | 11% | F | Kennedy | 15% | F | Evans | 9% | F |
Matsui | 15% | F | Lynch | 12% | F | Fitzpatrick | 58% | C |
McCarthy | 77% | B | McGovern | 15% | F | Kelly | 77% | B |
McClintock | 82% | B+ | Moulton | 18% | F | Marino | 73% | B- |
McNerney | 14% | F | Neal | 13% | F | Meehan | 65% | C+ |
Napolitano** | 8% | F | Tsongas | 17% | F | Murphy** | 71% | B- |
Nunes | 75% | B | State Average | 15% | Perry | 88% | A | |
Panetta | 14% | F | Michigan | | | Rothfus | 82% | B+ |
Pelosi* | 12% | F | Amash | 88% | A | Shuster | 75% | B |
Peters | 27% | F | Bergman | 83% | B+ | Smucker | 78% | B |
Rohrabacher | 78% | B | Bishop | 83% | B+ | Thompson | 76% | B |
Roybal-Allard | 8% | F | Conyers | 16% | F | State Average | 56% | |
Royce | 80% | B+ | Dingell | 9% | F | Rhode Island | | |
Ruiz | 18% | F | Huizenga | 85% | A | Cicilline | 14% | F |
Sanchez | 12% | F | Kildee | 14% | F | Langevin | 14% | F |
Schiff | 10% | F | Lawrence | 14% | F | State Average | 14% | |
Sherman | 15% | F | Levin | 17% | F | South Carolina | | |
Speier | 15% | F | Mitchell | 79% | B+ | Clyburn* | 8% | F |
Swalwell | 16% | F | Moolenaar | 78% | B | Duncan | 86% | A |
Takano | 13% | F | Trott | 76% | B | Gowdy | 83% | B+ |
Thompson | 18% | F | Upton | 75% | B | Mulvaney | N/A | N/A |
Torres | 16% | F | Walberg | 81% | B+ | Norman** | 81% | B+ |
Valadao | 74% | B | State Average | 57% | Rice | 83% | B+ | |
Vargas | 15% | F | Minnesota | | | Sanford | 87% | A |
Walters | 81% | B+ | Ellison | 16% | F | Wilson | 81% | B+ |
Waters | 9% | F | Emmer | 86% | A | State Average | 73% | |
State Average | 32% | Lewis | 85% | A | South Dakota | | | |
Colorado | | | McCollum | 11% | F | Noem | 82% | B+ |
Buck | 87% | A | Nolan | 13% | F | State Average | 82% | |
Coffman | 77% | B | Paulsen | 78% | B | Tennessee | | |
DeGette | 22% | F | Peterson | 43% | D | Black | 85% | A |
Lamborn | 86% | A | Walz | 16% | F | Blackburn | 87% | A |
Perlmutter | 17% | F | State Average | 44% | Cohen | 14% | F | |
Polis | 22% | F | Mississippi | | | Cooper | 25% | F |
Tipton | 83% | B+ | Harper | 79% | B+ | DesJarlais | 88% | A |
State Average | 56% | Kelly | 85% | A | Duncan | 88% | A | |
Connecticut | | | Palazzo | 77% | B | Fleischmann | 80% | B+ |
Courtney | 16% | F | Thompson | 10% | F | Kustoff | 85% | A |
DeLauro | 11% | F | State Average | 63% | Roe | 81% | B+ | |
Esty | 16% | F | Missouri | | | State Average | 70% | |
Himes | 17% | F | Clay | 14% | F | Texas | | |
Larson | 12% | F | Cleaver* | 10% | F | Arrington | 82% | B+ |
State Average | 14% | Graves | 84% | B+ | Babin | 82% | B+ | |
Delaware | | | Hartzler | 80% | B+ | Barton | 85% | A |
Blunt Rochester | 13% | F | Long | 83% | B+ | Brady | 80% | B+ |
State Average | 13% | Luetkemeyer | 79% | B+ | Burgess | 83% | B+ | |
Florida | | | Smith | 86% | A | Carter | 78% | B |
Bilirakis | 82% | B+ | Wagner | 83% | B+ | Castro | 16% | F |
Buchanan | 77% | B | State Average | 65% | Conaway | 82% | B+ | |
Castor | 12% | F | Montana | | | Cuellar | 43% | D |
Crist | 15% | F | Gianforte** | 62% | C+ | Culberson | 81% | B+ |
Curbelo | 71% | B- | Zinke | N/A | N/A | Doggett | 12% | F |
Demings | 10% | F | State Average | 62% | Farenthold | 82% | B+ | |
DeSantis | 87% | A | Nebraska | | | Flores | 83% | B+ |
Deutch | 15% | F | Bacon | 79% | B+ | Gohmert | 82% | B+ |
Diaz-Balart | 77% | B | Fortenberry | 76% | B | Gonzalez | 18% | F |
Dunn | 82% | B+ | Smith | 83% | B+ | Granger | 77% | B |
Frankel* | 8% | F | State Average | 79% | Green, A. | 7% | F | |
Gaetz | 81% | B+ | Nevada | | | Green, G. | 16% | F |
Hastings | 10% | F | Amodei | 78% | B | Hensarling | 87% | A |
Lawson | 12% | F | Kihuen | 16% | F | Hurd | 72% | B- |
Mast | 72% | B- | Rosen | 20% | F | Jackson Lee | 9% | F |
Murphy | 28% | F | Titus* | 14% | F | Johnson, E. | 8% | F |
Posey | 84% | B+ | State Average | 32% | Johnson, S.** | 86% | A | |
Rooney, F. | 85% | A | New Hampshire | | | Marchant | 85% | A |
Rooney, T. | 80% | B+ | Kuster | 17% | F | McCaul | 81% | B+ |
Ros-Lehtinen* | 64% | C+ | Shea-Porter | 16% | F | Olson | 82% | B+ |
Ross* | 84% | B+ | State Average | 17% | O'Rourke | 19% | F | |
Rutherford* | 76% | B | New Jersey | | | Poe | 81% | B+ |
Soto | 13% | F | Frelinghuysen | 70% | B- | Ratcliffe | 85% | A |
Wasserman Schultz | 10% | F | Gottheimer | 29% | F | Sessions | 83% | B+ |
Webster | 85% | A | Lance | 62% | C+ | Smith | 83% | B+ |
Wilson* | 10% | F | LoBiondo | 52% | C- | Thornberry | 79% | B+ |
Yoho | 87% | A | MacArthur | 68% | B- | Veasey | 15% | F |
State Average | 52% | Norcross | 13% | F | Vela | 17% | F | |
Georgia | | | Pallone | 13% | F | Weber | 83% | B+ |
Allen | 82% | B+ | Pascrell | 12% | F | Williams | 85% | A |
Bishop | 18% | F | Payne | 13% | F | State Average | 62% | |
Carter | 83% | B+ | Sires | 12% | F | Utah | | |
Collins | 84% | B+ | Smith | 50% | C- | Bishop | 80% | B+ |
Ferguson | 82% | B+ | Watson Coleman | 14% | F | Chaffetz | N/A | N/A |
Graves | 85% | B+ | State Average | 34% | Love | 83% | B+ | |
Handel** | 71% | C+ | New Mexico | | | Stewart | 86% | A |
Hice | 87% | A | Lujan | 9% | F | State Average | 83% | |
Johnson | 14% | F | Lujan Grisham | 13% | F | Vermont | | |
Lewis | 14% | F | Pearce | 80% | B+ | Welch | 15% | F |
Loudermilk | 88% | A | State Average | 34% | State Average | 15% | ||
Price | N/A | N/A | New York | | | Virginia | | |
Scott, D. | 12% | F | Clarke | 14% | F | Beyer | 11% | F |
Scott, S. | 80% | B+ | Collins | 74% | B | Brat | 88% | A |
Woodall | 84% | B+ | Crowley | 14% | F | Comstock | 69% | B- |
State Average | 63% | Donovan | 60% | C | Connolly | 16% | F | |
Hawaii | | | Engel | 11% | F | Garrett* | 90% | A |
Gabbard | 16% | F | Espaillat | 13% | F | Goodlatte | 88% | A |
Hanabusa | 12% | F | Faso | 65% | C+ | Griffith | 86% | A |
State Average | 14% | Higgins | 11% | F | McEachin | 11% | F | |
Idaho | | | Jeffries | 12% | F | Scott | 9% | F |
Labrador | 86% | A | Katko | 64% | C+ | Taylor | 82% | B+ |
Simpson | 73% | B- | King | 61% | C | Wittman | 82% | B+ |
State Average | 80% | Lowey | 14% | F | State Average | 57% | ||
Illinois | | | Maloney, C. | 13% | F | Washington | | |
Bost | 74% | B | Maloney, S. | 17% | F | DelBene | 15% | F |
Bustos | 18% | F | Meeks | 14% | F | Heck | 15% | F |
Davis, D. | 13% | F | Meng | 12% | F | Herrera Beutler | 72% | B- |
Davis, R. | 76% | B | Nadler | 13% | F | Jayapal | 14% | F |
Foster | 18% | F | Reed | 73% | B- | Kilmer | 18% | F |
Gutierrez | 15% | F | Rice | 18% | F | Larsen | 14% | F |
Hultgren | 85% | A | Serrano | 12% | F | McMorris Rodgers | 81% | B+ |
Kelly | 13% | F | Slaughter | 12% | F | Newhouse | 79% | B+ |
Kinzinger | 75% | B | Stefanik | 63% | C+ | Reichert | 65% | C+ |
Krishnamoorthi | 16% | F | Suozzi | 23% | F | Smith | 11% | F |
LaHood | 84% | B+ | Tenney | 73% | B- | State Average | 38% | |
Lipinski | 20% | F | Tonko | 12% | F | West Virginia | | |
Quigley | 16% | F | Velazquez | 13% | F | Jenkins | 77% | B |
Roskam | 82% | B+ | Zeldin | 74% | B | McKinley | 73% | B- |
Rush* | 23% | F | State Average | 32% | Mooney | 83% | B+ | |
Schakowsky | 14% | F | State Average | 78% | ||||
Schneider | 22% | F | Wisconsin | | | |||
Shimkus | 78% | B | Duffy | 81% | B+ | |||
State Average | 41% | Gallagher | 83% | B+ | ||||
Grothman | 85% | A | ||||||
Kind | 19% | F | ||||||
Moore | 15% | F | ||||||
Pocan* | 14% | F | ||||||
Ryan | N/A | N/A | ||||||
Sensenbrenner | 92% | A | ||||||
State Average | 56% | |||||||
Wyoming | | | ||||||
Cheney | 80% | B+ | ||||||
State Average | 80% |
SCORE KEY:
85%+ : A, and distinguished as a “Taxpayers’ Friend”
79-84%: B+
74-78%: B
68-73%: B-
62-67%: C+
56-61%: C
50-55%: C-
32-49%: D
< 32%: F
* : Score based on less than 90%, but more than 75%, of weighted total votes cast.
** : Score based on less than 75%, but more than 50%, of weighted total votes cast.
N/A : Voted on 50% or less of weighted total votes cast; score and grade not issued.