Washington, D.C. — Today, House Republicans voted 119 to 74 in favor of a proposal that would gut the Office of Congressional Ethics. Neera Tanden, President and CEO of the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
President-elect Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are betraying the people who elected them, as well as the rest of the country. After campaigning on promises to drain the swamp, their first act is to gut the independent ethics watchdog and Congress’ ability to exercise real oversight. They did it in the dark of night on a holiday, when they hoped no one was paying attention.
Republicans gutting Congress’ independent ethics watchdog is just the latest piece of evidence that President-elect Trump and congressional Republicans are laying the ground for what could be one of the most corrupt periods in recent American history. Republicans still have a chance to do the right thing, cross party lines, and vote with Democrats to preserve this critical oversight capability.
At a time when we need stronger oversight of Congress, the fact that Republican leaders would undermine any oversight of their actions should make all Americans worry about what is to come.
For more information or to speak to an expert on this topic, please contact Tanya Arditi at [email protected] or 202.741.6258.