Compared to other states, the U.S. House delegation from Virginia ranked 24th lowest in spending based on how they voted on key fiscal measures, according to a new analysis by the Coalition to Reduce Spending.
On average, members of the state’s delegation voted to spend $1.41 trillion.
U.S. senators from Virginia were ranked among the very highest spenders compared to senators from the other 50 states, according to the coalition’s SpendingTracker.org website, which monitored the voting records of members of the 115th Congress. The 115th Congress was in session for two years beginning in January 2017.
Virginia’s two U.S. Senators, Tim Kaine and Mak Warner, both Democrats, voted for $1.9 trillion in spending, third highest among states.
Lawmakers over that time period on average voted for $1.58 trillion in federal spending, the study found. The five most frugal House members were Justin Amash (R-Michigan); Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky); Jimmy Duncan (R-Tennessee); Raul Labrador (R-Idaho); and Morgan Griffith (R-Virginia), who all voted to cut net spending, according to the analysis.
The two most frugal senators were Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) and Mike Lee (R-Utah).
The results did not always follow partisan lines, however. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the independent socialist from Vermont, was ranked the fourth lowest spender among senators, having voted to increase spending by about $144 billion. In contrast, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) voted to increase net spending by $330 billion.
The Coalition to Reduce Spending is a nonpartisan organization that advocates for reduced spending and public debt.
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House Delegations’ Spending Rankings
| Rank | State | # of House Members | Average of Delegation’s Spending Approvals (Billions) |
| 1 | Vermont | 1 | $561 |
| 2 | Oregon | 5 | $656 |
| 3 | Hawaii | 2 | $730 |
| 4 | Idaho | 2 | $810 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 9 | $1,006 |
| 6 | Colorado | 7 | $1,063 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 7 | $1,113 |
| 8 | Tennessee | 9 | $1,137 |
| 9 | Kentucky | 6 | $1,145 |
| 10 | Minnesota | 8 | $1,152 |
| 11 | California | 53 | $1,199 |
| 12 | New York | 27 | $1,208 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | 18 | $1,212 |
| 14 | Michigan | 14 | $1,223 |
| 15 | Arizona | 9 | $1,245 |
| 16 | North Carolina | 13 | $1,287 |
| 17 | Montana | 1 | $1,307 |
| 18 | South Dakota | 7 | $1,314 |
| 19 | Maryland | 8 | $1,317 |
| 20 | Illinois | 18 | $1,327 |
| 21 | Oklahoma | 5 | $1,358 |
| 22 | Indiana | 9 | $1,382 |
| 23 | Iowa | 4 | $1,408 |
| 24 | Virginia | 11 | $1,414 |
| 25 | New Jersey | 12 | $1,418 |
| 26 | South Carolina | 7 | $1,433 |
| 27 | New Mexico | 3 | $1,445 |
| 28 | Missouri | 8 | $1,484 |
| 29 | Georgia | 14 | $1,494 |
| 30 | Ohio | 16 | $1,497 |
| 31 | West Virginia | 2 | $1,519 |
| 32 | Louisiana | 6 | $1,535 |
| 33 | Utah | 4 | $1,555 |
| 34 | Washington | 10 | $1,562 |
| 35 | Nebraska | 3 | $1,586 |
| 36 | Texas | 37 | $1,612 |
| 37 | Arkansas | 4 | $1,628 |
| 38 | Kansas | 4 | $1,630 |
| 39 | Florida | 26 | $1,644 |
| 40 | Maine | 2 | $1,644 |
| 41 | Alabama | 7 | $1,653 |
| 42 | Nevada | 4 | $1,692 |
| 43 | Wyoming | 1 | $1,702 |
| 44 | North Dakota | 1 | $1,719 |
| 45 | Mississippi | 4 | $1,736 |
| 46 | Alaska | 1 | $1,739 |
| 47 | Rhode Island | 2 | $1,753 |
| 48 | Connecticut | 5 | $1,915 |
| 49 | Delaware | 1 | $1,915 |
| 50 | New Hampshire | 2 | $1,919 |
Which States Have the Most Frugal Senators?
| Rank | State | Average of the 2 Senators’ Spending Approvals (Billions) |
| 1 | Arizona | $340 |
| 2 | Oregon | $383 |
| 3 | Kentucky | $789 |
| 4 | Utah | $793 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $877 |
| 6 | Vermont | $1,033 |
| 7 | New York | $1,063 |
| 8 | Florida | $1,127 |
| 9 | California | $1,221 |
| 10 | Illinois | $1,232 |
| 11 | Iowa | $1,322 |
| 12 | Idaho | $1,329 |
| 13 | South Carolina | $1,373 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $1,377 |
| 15 | Alabama | $1,446 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $1,479 |
| 17 | Oklahoma | $1,483 |
| 18 | Nebraska | $1,502 |
| 19 | Tennessee | $1,545 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $1,559 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $1,572 |
| 22 | Montana | $1,604 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $1,613 |
| 24 | Colorado | $1,657 |
| 25 | Georgia | $1,666 |
| 26 | Alaska | $1,687 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $1,688 |
| 28 | Arkansas | $1,691 |
| 29 | Kansas | $1,711 |
| 30 | Texas | $1,723 |
| 31 | Mississippi | $1,730 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $1,739 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $1,753 |
| 34 | Washington | $1,758 |
| 35 | Nevada | $1,819 |
| 36 | Missouri | $1,827 |
| 37 | Ohio | $1,832 |
| 38 | West Virginia | $1,836 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $1,836 |
| 38 | Indiana | $1,836 |
| 38 | Maine | $1,836 |
| 42 | Connecticut | $1,915 |
| 43 | Michigan | $1,916 |
| 44 | Minnesota | $1,925 |
| 45 | Maryland | $1,925 |
| 45 | Rhode Island | $1,925 |
| 47 | New Mexico | $1,932 |
| 48 | Virginia | $1,933 |
| 48 | Delaware | $1,933 |
| 48 | New Hampshire | $1,933 |
Source: Coalition to Reduce Spending
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