The National Taxpayers Union’s annual rating includes every roll call vote affecting fiscal policy.

Back in December, when he pushed a bill to reduce waste, fraud and abuse in federal agencies, Congressman Patrick Murphy was quick to say he was proud to have the National Taxpayers Union endorse the legislation.

Last week, when he spoke of his bipartisan plan to end the Market Access Program that could save taxpayers $2 billion over 10 years, Murphy again pointed to the NTU’s endorsement as a fiscal stamp of approval.

But when the NTU last week released its 31st annual Rating of Congress, it gave Murphy an 8 percent, or an F grade.

The 8th District congressman’s spokeswoman, Kate Hansen, said via e-mail Tuesday that “While Murphy disagrees with the NTU’s rankings process, he was proud to vote to protect Main Street consumers from abusive Wall Street practices, he was happy to partner with them and two Republicans on bills to cut tens of billions in wasteful spending.”

NTU’s annual rating includes every roll call vote (333 House and 227 Senate in 2009) affecting fiscal policy – appropriations, authorization and tax bills; budget target resolutions; amendments; and certain regulatory or procedural votes that could affect taxpayers.

Pete Sepp, NTU’s vice president for policy and communications, said “a lot of the votes that the congressman cast did not go the way of taxpayers.”

The NTU only gave 55 lawmakers an a grade, an increase from the 48 who earned top grades in 2008. Meanwhile, 267 senators and representatives posted F grades.

Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Politics & Public Affairs at Franklin & Marshall College, said “it does not surprise me that Democrats who supported the Obama agenda would score low on the fiscal responsibility side given the fact that they have put up a large number of votes to deal with the recession and spending. As a policy measure, were these votes wise? That’s the other question.”

Murphy supported a number of expensive bills, including the stimulus, the bailouts for banks and auto companies, cash for clunkers and several omnibus spending with double-digit increases. He’s also voted for health care legislation that includes a government-run insurance program and for cap and trade. a member of the Blue Dog coalition, the two-term Democrat labels himself a fiscal conservative.

“There are far more people who call themselves members of the Blue Dog caucus than actually score that way,” Sepp said.

According to Sepp, half of the coalition members received F grades. Murphy’s 8 percent was the lowest of five Pennsylvania Blue Dogs.

Locally, 15th District Republican Charlie Dent, with a 64 percent score, scored the highest.

Dent said he wasn’t sure report cards by various groups were the best barometer to determine a lawmaker’s fiscal responsibility.

“I view it as striking a proper balance between necessary spending and needless spending,” he said. “I think major votes on specific items are more consequential.”

Dent voted against the large spending bills cited earlier that area Democrats had favored.

Allyson Schwartz, the 13th District Democrat, received the lowest score among Pennsylvania lawmakers, 3 percent.

Tali Israeli, spokeswoman for Schwartz, wouldn’t address the NTU rating, but in an e-mail stated, “As Vice Chair of the House Budget Committee, Congresswoman Schwartz has a strong record on fiscal responsibility.”

She also said Schwartz “ranked as one of the most centrist members of Congress in the most recent nonpartisan National Journal Congressional Scorecard.”

On economic issues, the National Journal ranked Schwartz in the 64 percentile for liberals, 34 for conservatives.

The liberal percentile score means that the member voted more liberal than that percentage of his or her colleagues in that issue area in 2009. the conservative figure means that the member voted more conservative than that percentage of his or her colleagues.

The NJ’s economic rankings are based on 50 votes, in contrast to the NTU’s 333.

Murphy’s liberal/conservative economic rating was 57/43 percent; Dent’s 34/65.

Overall, the NJ rated Schwartz the 275th most conservative of 435 House members, 25 spots behind Murphy’s position at 250. Dent is listed at 166.

NTU’s ratings, which don’t deal with degrees of liberal or conservative but simply how members of Congress vote on spending issues, has issued the chambers failing grades for three decades.

“Regardless of which party has controlled Congress over the last 31 years, NTU’s Rating has recorded only two years in which both chambers managed to achieve an average pro-taxpayer score of more than 50 percent,” said NTU President Duane Parde. “This dismal past performance helps to explain why our present federal financial situation is so grave, and why lawmakers on both sides of the aisle must improve their scores to give taxpayers the prosperous future they deserve from their elected officials.”