One of the most popular and enduring icons of American politics, Senator William Proxmire’s Golden Fleece Award embodied both outrage and humor as it put the public spotlight on waste and abuse of taxpayer money.
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the famous waste-busting award, Senator Proxmire asked Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS) to revive the Golden Fleece Award. The first revived Golden Fleece was awarded to the FAA for fleecing taxpayers out of a half a billion dollars in lost taxpayer revenue at the Tampa International Airport. The most famous award recipient? The Bridge to Nowhere.
Now, Taxpayers for Common Sense awards “The Golden Fleece” when a project so symbolizes waste of taxpayer dollars – instead of investments worthy of those limited resources – that we feel compelled to give it extra public attention.
First brought to Congress in a special election in 1957, Senator William Proxmire, a Democrat, served 32 years for over five terms in the U.S. Senate until he retired in 1989. During that time, he chaired the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, and Joint Economic Committee, and was a subcommittee Chairman on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The Senator was well known for his high standards of integrity, dedication, and frugality.
Senator Proxmire made the first contribution to Taxpayers and bestowed his famous Golden Fleece award to Taxpayers to continue the tradition of highlighting egregious waste.
After a ritual morning exercise of 100 push-ups and a four-mile run, the Senator brought his extraordinary energy to his work in Congress. Present for more than 10,000 roll call votes during the course of 22 and a half years, he still holds the record for the most consecutive votes in the history of the U.S. Senate. In his last two Senate campaigns of 1976 and 1982, Senator Proxmire refused to take any campaign contributions, whatever their form, and spent less than $200 out of his own pocket on each of the campaigns.
In a November 1995 speech, Senator Christopher Dodd commemorated Senator Proxmire’s career and 80th birthday:
“Senator Proxmire is perhaps best remembered for his fanatical devotion to saving taxpayer dollars. He refused to travel abroad at government expense, and he returned $1 million to the Treasury over 6 years by cutting back on staff expenses.
This commitment to personal thrift gave him the credibility to stand up to the waste of taxpayer money elsewhere in the government…. Golden Fleece not only makes its point about the potential dangers of ill-managed and ill-conceived government programs, but reminds us of the humor and character of this noble public servant.”
Senator Proxmire served as Honorary Chairman of the Taxpayers for Common Sense Advisory Board and inspired many. This history of the Senator and his famous Golden Fleece Award is compiled in his honor.
Previous Winners of the Golden Fleece Award:
Golden Fleece Awarded to Risk Management Agency for Risking Taxpayer Dollars
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is spreading holiday cheer for agricultural producers while putting lumps of coal in taxpayer stockings. Projected to cost at least $15 billion this year, federally subsidized crop insurance needs to be trimmed. Rather than rein in this budget-busting program, RMA’s Education and Outreach Cooperative Agreements Program underwrites efforts to expand it. For spending taxpayer dollars on efforts likely to increase the
Golden Fleece Awarded to Riverboat Ripoff
Addendum September 2013: Congressman Whitfield reintroduced his bill in the 113th Congress. H.R. 1149 Waterways Are Vital for the Economy, Energy, Efficiency, and Environment Act of 2013 (WAVE4 Act). Congressman Ed Whitfield (R-KY) is proposing a Riverboat Ripoff. His bill H.R. 4342, titled the Waterways Are Vital for the Economy, Energy, Efficiency, and Environment Act of 2012 (WAVE4 Act), would bail out commercial barge operators from paying most of their
$190 Million Bridge to Nowhere
Rep. Don Young (R-AK), Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is trying to sell taxpayers a $190-million, one-mile bridge from the town of Ketchikan, Alaska on Revillagigedo Island to Gravina Island, a sparsely populated island on the southern end of the Alaskan Peninsula. This bridge is purportedly meant to replace the ferryboats which adequately handle passenger traffic between the islands. Far from being beneficial to the local economy,
Rep. Don Young Wins Golden Fleece Award
Washington, D.C. - Rep Don Young (R-AK) was awarded the Golden Fleece Award today by Taxpayers for Common Sense, a budget watchdog organization that gives this award to extreme cases of wasteful government spending. The fleece was awarded for Rep.Young’s efforts to sell taxpayers a $190 million bridge to a sparsely populated island in Alaska. “Rep. Young’s $190 million bridge to nowhere is taking taxpayers for a ride,” said Shannon
Agency Receives Golden Fleece for Shady Forest Deal in West Virginia
Washington, DC - Citing the illegal use of taxpayer dollars at the Northeastern Research Station's Fernow Experimental Forest, a national taxpayer organization today awarded the United States Forest Service the dubious honor of the Golden Fleece Award. "Either it's amateur hour at the Forest Service, or these employees knowingly chose to defraud taxpayers," commented Jonathan Oppenheimer, Director of the Forest Campaign at Taxpayers for Common Sense. "Either way, it cost
FAA Receives Golden Fleece Award for Fleecing Taxpayers at Tampa International Airport
TAMPA, FL – Citing bargain-basement leases to rich developers at the Tampa International Airport, a national taxpayers organization today awarded the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the dubious distinction of being the first recipient of the revived Golden Fleece Award. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the famous waste-busting award, former Wisconsin Senator William Proxmire asked Taxpayers for Common Sense to revive the Golden Fleece Award. Today’s award is the second time