News You Need

The latest news from Issue One as we unite Republicans, Democrats, and independents in the movement to fix our broken political system.

Federal Election Commission should act to close loophole exposed by billionaire Michael Bloomberg

Federal, Federal Election Commission

Issue One Executive Director Meredith McGehee today commended the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for opening the door to consideration of a potential new rulemaking that could limit the amount of leftover campaign funds a candidate who self-funded their campaign could legally transfer to national party committees. “If the FEC does not take action to close this loophole, it’s virtually guaranteed

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Issue One praises senators’ decision not to weaken lobbying restrictions on former Pentagon officials

Lobbying, National Security

Issue One Executive Director Meredith McGehee released the following statement today after the Senate rejected the Pentagon’s proposal to weaken current lobbying restrictions on former Pentagon officials. The decision followed weeks of pressure from political reform organizations, including Issue One, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), and others. “The Senate’s move to reject efforts to weaken current lobbying restrictions on

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A perfect storm of election chaos is brewing

Elections

Issue One statement on recent elections and the need for funding for states In response to reports of widespread election chaos experienced in Georgia, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Washington, D.C., and other localities this week and last week, Issue One ReFormers Caucus Co-chairs Ambassador Tim Roemer (D-IN) and Congressman Zach Wamp (R-TN) released the following statement: “We simply cannot tolerate the

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Backlog of enforcement cases looms over FEC as Trey Trainor joins commission

Federal Election Commission

With Texas attorney Trey Trainor officially being sworn in today as a commissioner on the Federal Election Commission, one of the most pressing issues facing the agency is its backlog of complaints and enforcement cases. According to FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, there are 350 cases on the FEC’s enforcement docket. That includes at least 90 complaints that were filed with the FEC

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Swamp Stories Episode 12: Shadow Lobbying

Uncategorized

“Let me give it to you straight: Over the last decade it has become commonplace in Washington for people who lobby the government to avoid registering as lobbyists, thus preventing the public from knowing who is paying them and for what purposes.” The influence industry looms large in policymaking in Washington, DC, and the big players are lobbyists.  Because of

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Issue One statement on the killing of George Floyd

Uncategorized

In response to the wave of protests by Americans shaken at the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by a Minneapolis police officer who pinned him to the ground and left him unable to breathe, Issue One Founder and CEO Nick Penniman released the following statement: “The killing of yet another unarmed Black person by the police should

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The Fulcrum attracts financial support from Craig Newmark Philanthropies

Uncategorized

WASHINGTON (May 27, 2020) – The Fulcrum, a nonprofit news platform covering the democracy reform movement, announces today the addition of a new financial supporter, Craig Newmark Philanthropies.  The Fulcrum, which launched in June 2019, is staffed by award-winning journalists who report on the efforts to make our democratic republic less tribal, our elections more competitive, our politicians less beholden

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IRS rules change allowing groups to keep donors’ names hidden is both disappointing and troubling

Dark Money, Disclosure

In the wake of the news that the Treasury Department and IRS this week implemented a rules change that allows many 501(c) organizations — including politically active dark money groups organized under Secs. 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(6) of the tax code — to keep their donors secret, Issue One Executive Director Meredith McGehee issued the following statement: “It is both disappointing

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Linda Willard and Peter Staple join Issue One’s Board of Directors

Uncategorized

Issue One is pleased to announce that attorney Linda Willard and business executive Peter Staple have joined its board of directors.  “Linda Willard and Peter Staple are passionate about political reform and will bring new experiences and ideas to our board of directors as we seek to unite Democrats, Republicans, and independents to fix our broken political system at this

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Connect with Us

Congress 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.