Issue One’s latest report, “Busted & Broke: Why the Federal Election Commission doesn’t work,” reveals why the FEC is dysfunctional and how the agency lacks the budget, staff, and teeth it needs to enforce the country’s campaign finance laws as the 2020 elections unfold. While it is common knowledge that the FEC gridlocks frequently, it is less known that the
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Systemic institutional dysfunction was a leading cause for more than 50 Republican and Democratic members of Congress who voluntarily did not seek re-election this year, according to a new joint report by Issue One and the R Street Institute. Interviews with a select group of over half a dozen outgoing and recently-retired lawmakers who were vocal about why they chose
Read MoreWhat, exactly, is the price of power in Washington for some of the most influential lawmakers on Capitol Hill? That’s the question Issue One’s new report seeks to answer, for readers and tens of millions of viewers around the country. Issue One Executive Director Nick Penniman and ReFormers Caucus Co-chair Rep. Zach Wamp (R-TN) interviewed on “Full Measure with
Read MoreA new report from Issue One called “The Price of Power” details how the chairs and ranking members of the most influential committees in the U.S. House of Representatives are increasingly being pressured by party leadership to funnel significant portions of the funds they raise back to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) under the current
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Today, Issue One and the ReFormers Caucus launched an ambitious policy framework that aims to kickstart a bipartisan conversation in Washington about how to “drain the swamp,” get Congress back to working for the American people and make government more accountable and transparent. Our framework, titled “Returning Government to the American People,” is the result of months of deliberation with
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Before Donald Trump was for accepting donations from wealthy donors, he was attacking it. But as one Republican said, “If there is one thing that unites both parties up here, it’s money.” Today, we’re launching a new resource called “Right on the Money” to highlight conservative and Republican research, polling and statements from elected officials, thought-leaders and voters about what we believe
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In an exciting first year of work the ReFormers have helped move money in politics to the front of the political debate. One year ago former members of Congress on Issue One’s Advisory Board invited fellow former members to learn more about Issue One’s work, and invited them to join the fight to reduce the power of money in American politics. Twenty-one former
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The ReFormers Caucus of more than 100 former members of Congress and governors is bringing greater attention and purpose to money-in-politics reform. That’s why they’re reaching out to debate moderators and pushing them to ask the critical question: what specifically will candidates do to ensure our government is truly of, by and for the people? “The presidential debates are some
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Americans on both sides of the aisle readily point to the excessive power of money in politics as an obstacle that keeps the government from addressing the country’s most pressing challenges. And according to one poll, while 91 percent of Americans agree that money in politics is a major problem, just nine percent feel it will ever be solved. But
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Yesterday, Issue One’s bipartisan group of more than 100 former members of Congress and governors gathered on Capitol Hill to call for renewed action to enact solutions to money in politics. The ReFormers Caucus is the largest bipartisan group of former elected officials speaking out for comprehensive campaign finance reform ever assembled. Currently, the ReFormers include former representatives, senators, governors,
Read MoreCongress needs to act immediately to provide states with the emergency federal funding they need to run safe, secure and credible elections in November. The previous federal funding was an important down payment, but reports from state and local election officials indicate substantially more federal emergency assistance is needed as soon as possible. Issue One and many others are working to convince Senators to vote in July for more funding so that our November elections are safe, secure, and fair.
