FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Isakson Receives "Taxpayer Hero" Award for Commitment to Reducing Wasteful Spending

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today was honored as a "Taxpayer Hero" by the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste for his voting record in 2009. The award is given to members of Congress who consistently vote to cut wasteful spending, reduce the tax burden and make government more accountable to taxpayers.

"I am very proud to receive this honor from the Council for the Citizens Against Government Waste, because I agree with them that we must take large and immediate steps to stop out-of-control federal spending," Isakson said. "As a businessman, I more than recognize that the way the government is operating is not only unsustainable, it is a recipe for disaster and failure."

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, the nation's largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement in government.

Since 1989, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste has tracked roll call votes to separate the taxpayer advocates in Congress from those who favor wasteful programs and pork-barrel spending. The 2009 Congressional Ratings cover the voting year 2009, the first session of the 111th Congress. The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste rated 74 key votes in the Senate.

Isakson received a score of 96 percent on the 2009 Congressional Ratings. Senators with a score of 80 percent or higher were eligible for the "Taxpayer Hero" honor.

"We have a serious, difficult problem in our country. One of the keys to stopping the growth of debt and improving the plight of our country is to begin spending within our means," Isakson said.

Isakson is committed to trying to pass legislation to curb federal spending and to demand more accountability from programs that receive federal dollars. Isakson is a co-sponsor of a constitutional amendment that would allow the President to use the line-item veto to either eliminate or reduce appropriations in any bill passed by the Congress. The amendment would also require Congress to balance the federal budget.

Isakson also has introduced legislation to reform the federal budget process by converting it from an annual spending process to a two-year cycle, with one year for appropriating federal dollars and the other year devoted solely to mandatory oversight of federal programs.

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