STATEMENT: CAP’s Liz Kennedy Applauds Sen. Warren’s Bold, Wide-Ranging Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act
Washington, D.C. — Today, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) announced the Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act, a bill that takes strong steps to fight corruption and restore ethics and accountability in Washington. Following the announcement of the legislation, Liz Kennedy, senior director of Democracy and Government Reform at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
The climate of corruption in Washington has reached levels that surpass the Watergate era, preventing Americans from receiving the fair representation and honest public service they deserve. However, as we saw in the 1970s, times of crisis can be the impetus for much-needed reforms. That’s why it’s so important that Sen. Warren is proposing bold solutions so government works for people. These include sweeping new ethics and conflicts of interest rules; a crackdown on shadow lobbying and industry influence-peddling; and increased transparency for large government contractors, Congress, and the executive branch. There are many aspects of this bill which will go a long way toward restoring integrity and rebalancing power in our political system, so people’s interests are no longer crowded out by special interests.
Related resources:
- Fact sheet: “Ban Lobbyists from Fundraising for Politicians“
- Fact sheet: “Fighting Special Interest Lobbyist Power Over Public Policy“
- Report: “How Corporate Donors Get Their Tax Breaks and 5 Ways to Fight Back” by Alex Tausanovitch and Liz Kennedy
- Report: “Drain the Swamp” by Liz Kennedy
For more information or to talk to an expert, please contact Julia Cusick at jcusick@americanprogress.org or 202-495-3682.