Four Waste-Embracers and a Waste-Fighter

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.