A press release from State Senator Dan Duffy:

The National Taxpayers Union logo.

• Congressman Joe Walsh Named “Friend of the Taxpayer” by National Taxpayers Union

• The rating, which is based on every roll call vote affecting fiscal policy, assigns a “Taxpayer Score” to each Member of Congress that indicates his or her support for reducing or controlling
• federal spending
• taxes
• debt
• regulation

For 2011, a total of 337 House and 234 Senate votes were selected.

Due to his record of “consistently voting to reduce and control the burden on American taxpayers,” the National Taxpayers Union presented Congressman Walsh their “Taxpayers’ Friend Award.”

His 90% score indicates, according to the NTU, that Walsh is “one of the strongest supporters of responsible tax and spending policies.”

This ranking places Walsh in the top ten of all members of the House of Representatives.

“I am very pleased to receive this award and am thankful for the role that NTU plays as a watchdog on the very important issues of spending, borrowing and taxation,” Walsh stated.

“It is vital that we, as a country, begin to live within our means which is why I am proud to be the sponsor of a bill requiring a balanced budget and why I have voted to give people more freedom over their own money and voted against every bill that spends money we don’t have,” Walsh continued.

“Congressman Walsh’s pro-taxpayer score of 90% was one of the best in the entire Congress,” NTU President Duane Parde said.

Parde continued, “By voting day in and day out to reduce federal spending, taxes, and debt, Congressman Walsh proved to be one of the most effective advocates for taxpayers in Illinois as well as across the nation.

“If every member of Congress voted as carefully as Congressman Walsh, current and future generations of Americans could enjoy much lower taxes and a less wasteful government.

“The hardworking families in the 8th District and across the nation owe Congressman Walsh a debt of gratitude for his efforts on their behalf.”