Issue One is excited to welcome former Ohio Republican Governor Bob Taft to the ReFormers Caucus. Governor Taft joins 160 former elected officials from both parties — 19 of whom are also former governors — in the fight to reduce the influence of money in politics. Governor Taft was a term-limited governor of Ohio, serving from 1999 to 2007. He
Read MoreThis morning, Issue One Chief of Policy, Programs and Strategy Meredith McGehee issued the following statement: Late yesterday, reporters revealed what has become a common tale in Donald Trump’s Washington: Special interests will remain firmly entrenched in the swamp. The president-elect’s inaugural committee has been soliciting packages aimed directly at corporate donors and well-funded interests. The ask is for six-
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Issue One is excited to welcome former Washington Republican Congressman John Miller to the ReFormers Caucus. Congressman John Miller joins 160 former members of Congress and governors from both sides of the aisle who are dedicated to returning government to the people. Congressman Miller represented Washington’s 1st District for four terms, from 1985 to 1993. Prior to his election to
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This letter to the editor originally appeared in the Wall Street Journal. It is in response to an earlier editorial about Donald Trump’s business interests. The Journal is right to chastise Washington for its ethics double standard when it comes to the treatment of business folks versus public-interest lawyers (“The Trump Family Political Business,” Review & Outlook, Nov. 18). It is critical to
Read MoreToday in a wide-ranging interview with the New York Times, President-elect Donald Trump made the spurious claim that, “The law is totally on my side, the president can’t have a conflict of interest.” The president can indeed have a conflict. That is why for more than 40 years, every president has taken steps — bona fide blind trusts, divestment or
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Issue One is pleased to welcome former Connecticut Republican Congressman Ron Sarasin to the ReFormers Caucus. The ReFormers Caucus is comprised of more than 150 former members of Congress and governors from both sides of the aisle who are dedicated to returning government to the people. It is the largest group of former lawmakers ever assembled on behalf of fixing
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As the 114th Congress looks to pass a handful of bills and a continuing resolution in the lame duck to fund the government through March, Issue One joins other advocacy organizations to categorically reject all efforts to add campaign finance-related riders to the final legislative measures of this cycle. Legislative riders are controversial provisions that typically would not pass as
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This op-ed by ReFormers Caucus members Rep. Tim Roemer (D-IN) and Rep. Zach Wamp (R-TN) originally appeared in The Hill. The so-called blue Midwest firewall crumbled. The heartland launched a hand grenade into Washington, D.C. Donald Trump won the presidential election by winning traditionally blue-collar workers in Democratic Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. After years of gridlock on Capitol Hill, Republicans now
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Late Wednesday evening, President-elect Donald Trump took a small but important first step in following-through on his campaign’s pledge to “drain the swamp” in Washington. The administration-in-waiting said it will bar lobbyists from serving on his transition team and will restrict members of his administration from lobbying for five years after their tenure in government. These moves address one of
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Issue One, along with other watchdog groups and individuals, signed onto the following letter calling on President-elect Donald Trump to address the unprecedented and overwhelming conflicts of interest his business interests represent as he assumes the Oval Office. The letter is below: Dear President-Elect Trump, We are writing to urge you to place all of your business assets and investments into
Read MoreRead “Why We Left Congress: How the Legislative Branch Is Broken and What We Can Do About It”
Issue One’s new joint report with the R Street Institute examines the legislative branch’s dysfunction through conversations with members who have voluntarily departed in the 2018 cycle. Read the full report and proposed solutions in “Why We Left Congress: How the Legislative Branch is Broken and What We Can Do About It” here.
