In these tough economic and budgetary times, we wanted to give thanks to some of this year’s most inspirational and tireless lawmakers and give tribute to the actions they have taken to make Congress more fiscally responsible and to build a government that works for taxpayers.

Here are some of our favorites:

Bettering the Bailout -There has been a cacophony of lawmakers raising concerns over the Department of Treasury’s $700 billion bailout plan . One of the most important voices has been Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) who, as a point man on the bailout in the Senate, worked to make the package more accountable and has been named to the five member oversight panel to monitor the bailout and recommend financial market reforms.

Other lawmakers have done a bang-up job making sure the Congress keeps its constitutional promise of oversight over the bailout. As Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform , Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), led a series of hard-hitting oversight hearings on Wall Street. Also earning our praise is Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), whose hard work on the Oversight Committee has been integral to holding AIG accountable.

Increasing Congressional Transparency – Scores of lawmakers have worked to enhance congressional transparency, but the efforts of two lawmakers stick out. First, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee David Obey’s (D-WI) move to put all appropriations earmark request letters online (see DHS letters, Mil-Con letters and the defense letters here and here ) should be commended. While much more is needed to make earmarks totally transparent, Rep Obey’s efforts were heads and tails above his Senate and House counterparts. We also commend all the lawmakers that disclosed their earmark requests publically .

We also owe thanks to Rep. John Culberson (R-TX), who lead a successful effort to lift the restrictions on members communicating with their constituents through new media like Twitter and YouTube.

Making Earmarks Accountable – While dozens of lawmakers helped make the system of earmarks much more accountable and less corrupting, a few stand out for their leadership.   Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) , Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) , Tom Coburn (R-OK) , Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) ensured the reforms achieved in the first half of the 110th Congress were preserved and enhanced this year. And Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) deserves credit for pledging to not take contributions from recipients of earmarks.

Stopping Water Pork – Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) has long been a leader on many pro-taxpayer issues. On one in particular he has been stalwart. Sen. Feingold has repeatedly pushed to reign in wasteful Corps of Engineers projects and establish priorities for this pork barrel agency.  

Salmon Spending – Reps. Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Tom Petri (R-WI) for their leadership efforts to protect taxpayers and ensure the cost-effective and scientifically credible restoration of salmon in the Columbia and Snake Rivers Each year U.S. taxpayers and northwestern ratepayers spend more than half a billion dollars on failing salmon recovery efforts.

As we spend time with our families this week and reflect on the year, let’s remember and give tribute to the tireless lawmakers that are doing their best to make our government more cost effective and efficient for all.