Led by Speaker Pelosi, Rep. John Sarbanes and the freshman class, the House passed the For the People Act (H.R. 1/S. 949) one year ago
Every member of the House Democratic Caucus co-sponsored and voted for the bill
End Citizens United Action Fund President Tiffany Muller released the following statement on the one year anniversary of the For the People Act’s (H.R. 1/S. 949) passage in the House, the most sweeping anti-corruption and government reform bill since Watergate:
“In the 2018 elections, the American people sought leaders committed to unrigging the system and cleaning up Washington. One year ago, the Democratic House majority, led by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Rep. John Sarbanes, kept their promise to voters by making reform their first priority in Congress and passing a once-in-a-generation anti-corruption, voting rights and government ethics bill. The House has done its job, but Mitch McConnell’s Republican-controlled Senate has failed to do theirs. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats have remained persistent in the fight to pass the For the People Act and strengthen our democracy. Without it, corporate special interests and dark money will continue to rig the system against everyday Americans, which is preventing action on the most vital challenges our country faces, like the looming climate crisis, the high cost of prescription drugs and common sense gun safety reforms. Senator McConnell should heed the calls for reform and hold an up or down vote on the For the People Act.”
The For the People Act is borne out of the 2018 midterm elections that saw a majority of Democratic challengers run on a platform of cleaning up corruption and unrigging the system in Washington. The comprehensive bill would restore voting rights, safeguard the integrity of elections, reform ethics laws, and end the dominance of big money in politics. In October of 2018, ECU organized a letter, signed by three-quarters of the incoming class, demanding reform be the first item on the agenda in the new Congress. A post-election poll commissioned by ECU found that 75 percent of 2018 voters in battleground House districts said cracking down on Washington corruption was their top priority.
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