Yesterday, Representatives David Cicilline (D-R.I) and John Sarbanes (D-MD) wrote an op-ed in The Hill describing House Democrats’ plans to unrig our democracy and fight back against the lobbyists and special interests controlling Washington.
The Hill: Renewing our republic: Putting the priorities of everyday people ahead of special interests
Better jobs, better wages and a better future. That’s what Democrats want for the American people. We want an economy that works for the middle class and lifts up those who are struggling to get there. A better deal for every American willing to work hard and play by the rules.
But that can only happen if we wrest power from special interests and make government more accountable to the people.
Everyone knows that lobbyists and big-money donors have too much influence in Washington. As a result, economic policy is overly focused on boosting the stock market and maximizing corporate earnings, while the take home pay of most Americans continues to stagnate and retirement benefits are cut. In service to their deep-pocketed patrons, Republican leaders in Congress are now gearing up to give more tax breaks to the wealthy and to corporations – even if that means jeopardizing support for after school initiatives and Pell Grants, or key programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
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And today, End Citizens United continues the fight against the rigged system. ECU along with People for the American Way (PFAW), Public Citizen, Democracy 21, and a host of other reform groups joined together to stand up for campaign finance reform and call on Congress to remove a number of campaign finance provisions that would undermine our democracy from bills moving through Congress, such as the Johnson Amendment repeal.