Club For Growth Releases Report On GOP Freshmen Asking “Just How Tea Party Are

They?”Club for Growth analysis of voting records finds many Freshmen Republicans have abandoned “Tea Party” values of fiscal responsibility

Washington, DC – Today, the Club for Growth released a report based on its 2011 Congressional Scorecard focusing on the voting records of the so-called “Tea Party” freshmen Republican class of 2010. After a careful review to see if their records match their rhetoric, the Club for Growth has found that for many of the freshmen Republicans, promises of fiscal responsibility have proven to be empty.

A Club for Growth review of the voting records of freshmen Republicans on economic issues found:

· In 2011, freshmen Republicans received an average score of 71% on the Club for Growth’s Congressional Scorecard. The average veteran received a 69%. This means the freshmen Republicans voted, on average, about the same as the Republicans who were already in Congress.
· A majority of freshmen Republicans voted against the conservative Republican Study Committee budget.
· Only 14 freshmen Republicans signed a pledge promising never to raise the debt ceiling until “Cut, Cap, and Balance” had passed.
· “Tea Party star” Rep. Allen West received an anemic 64% for voting to raise the debt ceiling and by repeatedly voting against spending cuts.
· The two freshmen in the Republican Leadership received vastly different scores, with Rep. Tim Scott receiving a 92% and Rep. Kristi Noem receiving a 60%.
· Charlie Bass ran for the seat he lost in 2006 by declaring that the agenda of the tea party “is exactly the same as mine.” He received a pathetic 48% in 2011.
· The Ten Highest scoring freshmen Republicans were Reps. Amash (100%), Huelskamp (100%), Labrador (100%), Mulvaney (99%), Walsh (99%), Stutzman (99%), Quayle (98%), Duncan (97%), Gowdy (97%) and Ross (96%).
· The Ten Lowest scoring freshmen Republicans were Reps. Rivera (47%), Grimm (46%), Stivers (45%), Runyan (45%), Gibson (44%), Hanna (44%), Fitzpatrick (43%), Dold (42%), Meehan (42%) and McKinley (37%).

The entire report can be viewed by visiting http://www.clubforgrowth.org/freshmanvotestudy/ or by clicking here.

“The Club for Growth holds members of Congress accountable for their actions, not their rhetoric,” said Club for Growth President Chris Chocola. “The liberal media likes to pretend that these Republicans have fought for fiscally conservative policies, but the facts don’t support their thesis. Just because the Republicans have a majority does not mean that more pro-growth policies have been passed. For example, a majority of Republicans voted to raise the debt ceiling, against spending cuts, and for wasteful subsidies. Republicans rail against the National Labor Relations Board, but some voted to keep funding it. By distributing this report to Club members and the public, we hope to raise awareness about the records of the Republican freshmen and believe their constituents will ask what’s happened since they went to Washington.”