Ethical Government
Money and corruption have infected our politics. We need a government that effectively responds to the political interests of We the People – not rich donors and Big Business.
"The majority of Americans have little influence over government policies... policymaking is dominated by powerful business organizations and a small number of affluent Americans, seriously threatening America's claim to being a democratic society."
- Study: Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page, 2014
The issue
Our government isn't working for We the People. Public trust in government has reached historic lows, as 76% of Americans believe it's run by a few big interests. They're not wrong. Money has flooded our politics, while key institutions face no ethical oversight: "the Court has exempted itself from rules that apply to other federal judges," while the Senate Ethics Committee is “known for how little action it takes.” The result is a government that answers to elite interests, instead of being held accountable to ours. A healthy democracy is one that responds to the will of its people, and we must enact the policies that defend it.
Read the detailed policy fact sheet:
How we fix it:
🤑 Reduce the influence of money on our politics
Overturn Citizens United
This infamous and illogical 2010 Supreme Court case greenlit the explosion of money in our politics, overturning previous restrictions on election spending. Reversing the ruling would stop the unlimited flow of corporate money into our politics.
Reform campaign finance broadly
The Brennan Center writes that “in theory, contributions to candidates for federal office are limited. In practice, a donor can support a candidate with gifts of unlimited size.” Reforming campaign finance requires closing fundraising loopholes that promote collusive coordinated activity.
Reform lobbying
Lobbying can be a means for elite interests to bribe our politicians through backchannels. We need to implement policies that enforce transparency around lobbyists and their financial activities, and prohibit them from
fundraising for candidates.
Enforce disclosure of dark money groups
Dark money – i.e., political donations that come from an undisclosed source – can be reined in by strengthening donor disclosure requirements.
The endgame: Small Donor Public Financing
Under a ‘small donor public financing’ system, first proposed by Theodore Roosevelt in 1907, small individual contributions would be matched with public funds. This helps ensure all Americans have an equal political voice.
🏛️ Restore integrity to Congress
Ban Congressional stock trading
Today, members of Congress are allowed to trade stock. This creates a conflict of interest, as they're going to be biased towards the interests of the companies they invest in. As Senator Jon Tester wrote, “members of Congress are elected to serve the American people – not to use their position to line their own pockets. No one in Congress should be buying or selling stocks, period."
Ban contributions to Congress members from entities relevant to their committees
We must prohibit members of Congress from receiving donations from entities overseen by committees they serve on. Congress' job is to provide honest oversight, and they won't provide that over companies giving them money.
Create an independent Ethics body
The Senate Ethics Committee investigated less than 15% of complaints from 2007-2017, resulting in just five letters of admonition. The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has a roadmap for ethics reform: (1) create an independent Ethics office for the Senate; (2) empower ethics offices to investigate violations and facilitate punishments; (3) increase staffing for these committees.
Strengthen criminal anti-corruption laws
Americans' top priority for cleaning up our political system is "to strengthen the punishment for political corruption, including prosecuting politicians." We must update federal statutes to help prosecutors punish politicians who violate bribery and corruption laws.
⚖️ Restore integrity to the Supreme Court
Establish a formal Code of Conduct
Today, members of Congress are allowed to trade stock. This is a problem creates a conflict of interest, as they're going to be biased towards the interests of the companies they're invested in. As Senator Jon Tester wrote, “members of Congress are elected to serve the American people – not to use their position to line their own pockets. No one in Congress should be buying or selling stocks, period."
Enforce disclosure over recusal decisions
When justices excuse themselves from a case, it can shift the balance of the court on significant cases. Justices should be mandated to provide a public explanation for their recusal in order to "offer insight into these often-consequential decisions."
Strengthen rules governing donations and gifts
Statutes prohibiting justices from accepting gifts from “those whose interests may be substantially affected” by their cases are "frequently violated today." We must enact stricter gift policies for the Court, aligned with those governing other senior government officials.
Add seats to the Court
When the Supreme Court was created, it had six justices to align with the six circuit courts below it. The number of justices have been increased throughout history to match the increasing number of circuits, but today we have 13 circuit Courts and nine justices.
Enact term limits
Lifetime appointments to the Court “don’t just make the US an outlier globally, but set [them] apart from our states… in all of which the high judges have fixed terms or are required to step down at 70.” Term limits prevent entrenched partisan power and bring in new perspectives.