In 2016, four out of five members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation had little, if any, regard for “the fiscal interests of American taxpayers.”
That’s the conclusion of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, which has released its 2016 congressional ratings. The organization “scored 65 votes in the House of Representatives and 16 votes in the Senate.” No fedpol in the former earned a perfect 100, but four senators won the title of “Taxpayer Super Hero,” including a senator just to our west: Arizona’s Jeff Flake.
New Mexico’s senators, both Democrats, each scored a 13, and were thus labeled “Hostile.” Two members of the House, Democrats Ben Ray Luján and Michelle Lujan Grisham, performed even more abysmally, scoring in the single digits. (That’s down in Nancy Pelosi territory.)
U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, a Republican whose district comprises the southern half of the Land of Enchantment, was found to be a Taxpayer Hero. He scored an impressive 91.
CAGW looked at legislation covering everything from redundant catfish regulations to the banning of Internet-access taxes, Puerto Rico’s insolvency to Obamacare. Here’s the full list of bills that were scored.
Clearly, when it comes to “important tax, spending, transparency, and accountability measures,” New Mexico’s delegation has plenty of room for improvement.
This is really frustrating. The voters of New Mexico are told in so many ways how the politicians we elect to office are performing and in most cases it is dismal and we know it! This is true of members of both parties; neither Pete Domenici nor Heather Wilson were good advocates for the fiscal interests of taxpayers and the above list of the New Mexico’s delegation speaks for the other party. Why do New Mexico voters continue to elect candidates at all levels who clearly have no interest in curbing government waste?
I will bet come election time the incumbents who are responsible for perpetuating the waste and abuse will be reelected by a wide margin by people who cannot connect the dots of who is responsible for their pain.