{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://www.risch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=1a018ec4-93e7-4f8c-946d-28c7fe0fd93a", "Risch, Crapo Both Named 'Taxpayers' Friend'", "2014-09-18", "2014", "2014-09", "Republican", "House", "ID", "Jim Risch", "R000584", "www.risch.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.\u00a0 \u2013 Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch have earned the rating \u201cTaxpayers\u2019 Friend\u201d from the National Taxpayers Union, a nonprofit and nonpartisan citizen group dedicated to lower taxes, limited government and economic freedom.\u00a0 The group issues annual ratings for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives and individual members of both chambers.\r\nBoth Crapo and Risch earned an \u201cA\u201d rating, as did Idaho overall.\u00a0 Other Senate delegations receiving \u201cA\u201d ratings included Oklahoma and Texas.\u00a0 The National Taxpayers Union (NTU) gave the Senate an overall failing grade as 45 members \u201cearned\u201d an \u201cF\u201d rating on the scorecard of votes.\u00a0 The NTU says it takes into account every roll call vote affecting fiscal policy, including appropriations, authorization votes, budget resolutions and procedural votes.\r\n\u201cIt is disturbing to see nearly half the members of the Senate receive a failing grade, but with Americans facing nearly $18 trillion in debt handed to them by Congress\u2019 reckless tax and spend policies, it is a sign of both the lack of fiscal responsibility and the failure to find bipartisan agreement on critical issues like tax reform,\u201d said Crapo, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees tax policy; the Senate Budget Committee, and the \u201cGang of Six,\u201d which sought bipartisan approval for elements of the Simpson-Bowles federal deficit reduction plan.\r\n\"I am proud to be named as a \"Taxpayers\u2019 Friend\" another year in a row,\" said Risch. \"Given the historic spending crisis and amount of debt our nation faces, saving money and eliminating waste is always a top priority. The best way to strengthen families, grow businesses and boost our national economy is to let taxpayers keep more of their money.\"\r\n\u201cWith Big Spenders outnumbering Taxpayers\u2019 Friends by a nearly four to one ratio in Congress, limited government was definitely item one on the legislative to-do list in 2013,\u201d NTU President Pete Sepp noted.\u00a0 \u201cGoing forward, the Senate in particular will have to take a more positive attitude toward getting results for taxpayers in order for our country to overcome the massive debt and tax burdens still holding the economy back.\u201d\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://www.risch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=1a018ec4-93e7-4f8c-946d-28c7fe0fd93a"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0594897903501987, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}