More Hill Republicans Voted Against Wasteful Spending in 2020, But Supported Earmarks

Congressional Republicans voted much more strongly against wasteful federal spending in the months leading up to the 2020 election than they did in 2019, according to data compiled by Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW). Many of the same Republicans in the House, however, voted earlier this year to support a Democratic proposal to restore earmarks, the individual provisions in much larger bills that direct tax dollars to projects in an individual congressman’s state or district, often inserted by congressional leaders in return for the member’s support of the overall measure. “For 2020, 16 senators and 80 representatives earn the coveted title of ‘Taxpayer Super-Hero’ by achieving the highest possible score of 100 percent. In 2019, two senators and 27 representatives received a perfect score,” CAGW said in a May 10 statement. “For 2020, there are 33 ‘Taxpayer Heroes’ in the Senate and 105 in the House of Representatives. In 2019, …