Accountability

Broad coalition urges House of Representatives to update ethics rules to prohibit lawmakers from serving on boards of publicly traded companies

Accountability

Issue One was joined today by 12 other organizations from across the ideological spectrum in urging all members of the House of Representatives to support a bipartisan resolution introduced last month by Reps. Kathleen Rice (D-NY) and Tom Reed (R-NY) that would prohibit House members from serving on the boards of publicly traded companies. This common-sense resolution would change House

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IRS revokes dark money group Americans for Job Security’s tax exempt status

Accountability, Dark Money

This week, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that it revoked the dark money group Americans for Job Security’s tax exempt status. The announcement followed a complaint from Issue One and the Campaign Legal Center (CLC) against the organization. Americans for Job Security was a tax-exempt “business league” that spent tens of millions of dollars influencing elections while keeping its donors secret, but

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The days of congressional harassers leaving taxpayers to foot the bill are numbered

Accountability, Congress, Ethics

In response to the House Ethics Committee’s statement today on the personal accountability of members of Congress that leave office after having paid harassment settlements with taxpayer money, as well as reform of the Congressional Accountability Act, Issue One Executive Director Meredith McGehee issued the following comments: “Any time the House Ethics Committee chooses to enforce the ethics rules and

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White House OMB Director pulls back curtain on the worst of Washington

Accountability

Issue One ReFormers Caucus Co-chair Amb. Tim Roemer (D-IN) issued the following statement in response to White House Office of Management and Budget Director and former member of Congress Mick Mulvaney’s admission that campaign contributions were a requirement for meetings with his congressional office.  “Sadly, we have yet another candid example of the wretched pay-to-play system in Washington, DC. Director Mulvaney advised

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Bipartisan Senate bill to save taxpayers money and increase transparency reaches new record level of support

Accountability, Congress

A bipartisan bill in the U.S. Senate that would save taxpayers nearly $900,000 a year and increase political transparency has won over more sponsors than any other time since it was first introduced in 2003. With Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John McCain (R-AZ) and Tina Smith (D-MN) recently joining as official cosponsors, the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act (S. 298)

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BREAKING: House leadership hides behind shutdown to undermine the Office of Congressional Ethics

Accountability, Congress, Ethics

Issue One Executive Director Meredith McGehee issued the following statement in response to legislative language in section 407 on the second-to-last page of the much-needed reform package — the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 Reform Act (CAA Reform Act), introduced by Rep. Gregg Harper (R-MS) and Rep. Robert Brady (D-PA). “While the country is distracted by the potential government shutdown,

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The numbers behind why the Senate Ethics Committee is a black hole

Accountability, Congress, Ethics

A recent slew of high-profile cases has brought the U.S. Select Committee on Senate Ethics into the national spotlight. Increased media attention and public scrutiny stemming from cases like Senator Al Franken’s (D-Minn) alleged sexual misconduct against seven women — and the potential for jurisdictional tug-of-war if Republican candidate Roy Moore wins in the Alabama contest — has led to

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The Senate ‘ethics’ committee is a black hole where allegations die

Accountability, Congress, Federal

This op-ed by Issue One Executive Director Meredith McGehee originally appeared in The Hill. In the face of several highly charged allegations of sexual harassment, the Senate is turning to its ethics committee for political cover. It is an open secret in Washington that this committee is an “ethics committee” in name only. In the face of numerous allegations of sexual

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The FEC must move quickly — and with the American people in mind — on overdue online ad disclosure

Accountability, Disclosure

Today, in a welcome (if overdue) move, the perpetually gridlocked Federal Election Commission (FEC) unanimously voted to draft rules for online political ad disclosure. Issue One recently urged the FEC to take such action, noting that it’s “[a]t a time when malicious foreign actors are intent on hijacking the avenues Americans use to communicate, organize and debate with each other,

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Issue One statement on mistrial in corruption case of Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)

Accountability, Congress, Ethics, In the News

In response to the New Jersey jury’s inability to arrive at a verdict on the charges of corruption facing New Jersey Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, Issue One Chief of Policy, Programs and Strategy Meredith McGehee released the following statement: “Today’s lack of a verdict is disappointing but not surprising given how the U.S. Supreme Court has gutted key anti-corruption laws

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