Isakson Receives 'Taxpayers' Friend Award' for Strong Support of Responsible Tax, Spending Policies

Apr 13, 2011

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today received the “Taxpayers’ Friend Award” from the National Taxpayers Union for his voting record in 2010. Isakson received an “A” rating, or a 96 percent score, for being among the strongest supporters of responsible tax and spending policies in Congress.

Every year the non-partisan National Taxpayers Union (NTU) rates U.S. Representatives and Senators on their actual votes—every vote that affects taxes, spending, and debt. The Taxpayer Score measures the strength of support for reducing spending and opposing higher taxes and ranges between zero and 100.

“As a United States Senator, I understand the great responsibility I have to the taxpayers in this country to be a good steward of their money. They have to sit around their kitchen tables to prioritize their spending, and I firmly believe that Congress should do the same. To that end, my number one priority in the Senate is to rein in government spending and reduce the national debt so we don’t mortgage our children’s and grandchildren’s futures,” said Isakson. “I am very honored to receive this award from the National Taxpayers Union and will continue to work to ensure that America’s families and businesses are protected from burdensome taxes and reckless government spending.”

NTU Executive Vice President Pete Sepp said, “Senator Isakson’s 96 percent score on NTU’s Rating shows that when it came to tough fiscal policy issues in 2010, he consistently voted to stand by the taxpayer’s side. We look forward to Senator Isakson’s leadership on the vital battles ahead this year to bring the federal government’s finances back under control.”

Isakson has a longstanding record of being a good steward of taxpayer dollars. For example, he has returned more than $3 million of his annual congressional office budget to the Treasury as a former member of the House and as a current member of the Senate.

This year, Isakson cosponsored a constitutional amendment to balance the federal budget and has supported similar legislation in past years. In addition, he has introduced or supported measures to curb federal spending, reform the budgeting process and increase oversight of federal spending in order to get the country’s fiscal house in order and reduce our $14 trillion national debt.