Press Releases

Statement on House Administration Committee Hearing on the For the People Act

Feb 14, 2019

End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller released the following statement on today’s House Administration Committee hearing on H.R. 1, the For the People Act:

“Americans are tired of having their concerns take a back seat to the interests of corporations and mega-donors. Today’s hearing laid out the case for transformative legislation that will restore the public’s trust and get government back to doing the business of the people. This bill will do just that. It will end the dominance of big money in politics, strengthen ethics rules, and put power back in the hands of American families.

“The opponents of this bill are crystallizing their commitment to maintaining the status quo. At a time when Americans are calling for sweeping change, Republicans are doubling down on their allegiance to big money donors and corporate interests.

“We applaud Chairperson Lofgren and Democratic members of the committee for listening to the will of the people, who sent a message loud and clear last November that it is time to unrig the system. We’re proud to stand alongside them in the fight to make Washington more transparent and accountable.”

Ranking member Rep. Rodney Davis, who repeatedly attacked the bill at today’s hearing, was recently exposed for his close ties to special interests that oppose the For the People Act.

The For the People Act is borne out of the 2018 midterm elections that saw a majority of Democrats run on a platform of cleaning up corruption and unrigging the system in Washington. The comprehensive bill will restore voting rights, safeguard the integrity of elections, reform ethics laws, and end the dominance of big money in politics. In October, 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.

To watch a stream of the hearing, click here.

For a section-by-section of H.R. 1, click here.

For the H.R. 1 bill text, click here.

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