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This letter to the editor originally appeared in the Washington Post. It is in response to an earlier article about two catfish inspection offices in the federal government. The June 14 Food article “Has Congress given blue catfish a free pass?” reminded us that when money is the bait, Washington cannot help but go on a fishing expedition in search of
Read MoreIn an exit interview on “Full Measure” with Sharyl Attkisson, broadcast to millions of homes nationwide, U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) lambasted the fundraising virus that plagues our elected representatives. Chaffetz, who was first elected to the House in 2008 and has served as chair of the Oversight Committee since 2015, announced he
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Update (June 21, 9am ET): Republican Karen Handel won the special election in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, making history as the state’s first Republican congresswoman. Here are more details as to the role outside spending played in the election. UPDATED: Outside groups spent more than $27 million in #GA06, with pro-Handel forces spending about 2.5 times as much as pro-Ossoff orgs
Read MoreAhead of tonight’s Congressional Baseball Game, which has a bipartisan history dating back more than 100 years, Issue One’s ReFormers Caucus delivered a message of unity to Capitol Hill. Today, Republicans and Democrats will play on the same field for the love of our great American game. Issue One’s ReFormers Caucus is calling both parties to take that same spirit of cooperation
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Issue One welcomes former Democratic New York Representative Steve Israel to our ReFormers Caucus, the largest coalition of its kind: 181 former members of Congress and governors dedicated to returning government to the American people. “Steve Israel stands as a prime example of how the fundraising-first culture drives good public servants from office,” said Issue One Executive Director Nick Penniman.
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
Read MoreAs people head to the polls today to vote in the race for the open seat in Montana’s sole congressional district, Issue One is looking at the money behind the election. The seat was formerly held by Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke and opened when he was confirmed as Interior Secretary for the Trump administration earlier this year. Since then, a
Read MoreIn the aftermath of the Watergate scandal involving President Richard Nixon, Congress established the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) in 1978 to provide oversight of the executive branch and prevent — and resolve — conflicts of interest. The agency was eventually made independent in 1989 and currently oversees ethics standards for 2.7 million civilian employees in more than 130 executive agencies and the
Read MoreIssue One is excited to welcome former Representatives Lee Terry (R-NE), Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) and Dan Lungren (R-CA) to the ReFormers Caucus — a group comprised of nearly 180 former members of Congress, governors, ambassadors and cabinet secretaries from both parties assembled on behalf of government ethics and political reform. Representative Lee Terry served Nebraska’s 2nd District — one of
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