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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTed Lieu just tweeted about introducing new bill to shut loopholes Trump admin exploits
Link to tweet
https://lieu.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/reps-lieu-cicilline-sanchez-eshoo-and-gallego-introduce-bill-curb
November 16, 2018
Press Release
WASHINGTON Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu, Congressman David Cicilline, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and Congressman Ruben Gallego announced they are introducing the Restoring the Public Trust Act. The bill package incorporates a number of pieces of legislation aimed at strengthening ethical standards in the federal government to prevent government corruption and ensure accountability for the American public.
Upon introduction, the Members said:
One of the most surprising aspects of the Trump Administration has been how willingly they have shirked ethical normsand how easily some of our current laws have allowed it to happen. Actions that wouldve been unthinkable in prior Administrations are standard practice in this one. If there is something positive to come out of the Trump Administrations culture of corruption, its that we now have an acute understanding of the loopholes in our current anticorruption protections. Whether its using government airplanes for personal trips or forcing taxpayers to foot the bill for visits to an officials commercial property, Trumps willingness to wring the taxpayer dry needs to end.
Our institutions are only as strong as peoples faith in them. In order to restore the publics confidence in their government, we have to get rid of grifting among those in our highest ranks of office. Our Restoring the Public Trust Act is a tool to help us get there.
The Restoring the Public Trust Act is endorsed By: American Oversight; Campaign for Accountability, Common Cause, Public Citizen, and Sunlight Foundation .
The bill will include the following provisions:
TITLE I: Draining the Swamp
The SWAMP Act: The President must reimburse the Treasury Department for taxpayer dollars spent at properties in which he has a financial stake, like Mar-a-Lago.
The SWAMP FLYERS Act: Prohibits the use of federal funds for the official travel of a senior political appointee on a non-commercial, private, or chartered flight unless they certify under penalty of perjury that no alternative flight was available.
The E. Scott Pruitt Accountability for Government Officials Act: Creates a federal criminal penalty for use of public office for private gain, endorsement of products, or aiding family and friends for corrupt purposes.
CORRUPT Act: The head of each agency must submit to the Office of Government Ethics a report on the amount expended by that agency to any property owned by the President or his family.
RIGGED Act: Makes the federal nepotism laws applicable to the Executive Office of the President.
DRAIN the Swamp Act: The head of each agency must submit to the Comptroller General an assessment of any regulatory conflict of interest pertaining to the President and various senior advisors that might arise from an agencys rule.
TITLE II: Rooting Out Conflicts of Interest
CLEARANCES Act (COMMONSENSE LEGISLATION ENSURING ACCOUNTABILITY BY REPORTING ACCESS OF NON-CLEARED EMPLOYEES TO SECRETS): The White House must report to Congress when it grants a security clearance in contravention of an unfavorable clearance recommendation, in part to prevent dangerous and heavily indebted individuals from entering the most sensitive positions in government.
Blind Trusts: Requires members of the Presidents Cabinet and certain senior White House advisors to place stocks, bonds, commodities futures, other forms of securities in a blind trust during their tenure.
Preventing domestic emoluments: Prohibits any business interest owned in whole or in part by the President or Vice President, his/her spouse, or immediate family member from doing business with the federal government.
Presidential Tax Transparency Act: Requires all candidates for President to release their tax returns for the past three years.
No more shadow White House meetings: Require the White House to maintain a publicly accessible website that includes data on visitor logs.
TITLE III: Strengthening Our Inspectors General
Protecting our inspectors general: Requires notification to Congress of a presidents decision to place an agency inspector general whose job is to root out waste, fraud, and corruption on leave or to change their status in any way.
Filling empty inspector general positions: Requires the President report to Congress if he or she fails to nominate an Inspector General for a given agency, including a target date for making a formal recommendation.
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spanone
(135,832 posts)Crutchez_CuiBono
(7,725 posts)hlthe2b
(102,276 posts)So, if enough R's--esp in the Senate value any future-- they might well approach a veto-proof margin.
Crutchez_CuiBono
(7,725 posts)mopinko
(70,103 posts)if all we accomplish in the next 2 years is to put the gopee on record as opposing mom and apple pie, i am a happy camper.
LonePirate
(13,424 posts)The House is going to pass plenty of terrific bills all of which will die immediately after House passage because they will never receive any debate, let alone a vote, in the Senate.
John Fante
(3,479 posts)Let Turtle explain to America why this reasonable bill doesn't warrant so much as a vote in the senate.
sinkingfeeling
(51,457 posts)hlthe2b
(102,276 posts)watoos
(7,142 posts)during debate in the House. Bring out our mobs to push for passage so that the corporate media has to cover it. Make it known who in the House voted No.
If McConnell refuses to bring the Bill to the floor bring out our mobs again, force the corporate media to ask why Senators oppose this Bill.
Don't underestimate the importance of changing the narrative. This Bill would flip Trump's narrative of draining the swamp right on its head. Maybe we can borrow some of the deplorables Drain The Swamp signs?
madaboutharry
(40,211 posts)And I love the titles he assigned:
"The E. Scott Pruitt Act...."
"The Drain the Swamp Act...."
And the best one:
"Presidential Tax Transparency Act..."
2naSalit
(86,612 posts)pazzyanne
(6,555 posts)hughee99
(16,113 posts)duforsure
(11,885 posts)Will this cover the luxury spending spree's from meladia spending over $175k for a day trip to Toronto , or much more spent on her African spending spree? It should.
calimary
(81,267 posts)You and your colleagues in this! Do it!
leanforward
(1,076 posts)The loop holes must be closed. And I have to deal with a Repug Rep in my district.
padah513
(2,502 posts)When the house begins its transition from the old guard to the new in a couple years. We need people of intelligence and integrity like him, Schiff, and Swalwell (lots of other also that I didn't mention, my apologies) to lead this party forward into the future.
Mrs. Overall
(6,839 posts)UrbanProspector
(44 posts)the RW corporate media conglomerate glorifies the avoidance of laws by using loopholes as some type of "brilliant" business savvy.
lilactime
(657 posts)Snake Plissken
(4,103 posts)A con man looking for loopholes.
Power 2 the People
(2,437 posts)BamaRefugee
(3,483 posts)just RUN RAMPANT with GOOD LEGISLATION as soon as they take control of the House, I don't care about Senate or vetoes, just EVERY DAY present to the American public EVERY GOOD IDEA WE HAVE, relentlessly, until even the dumbest trumplicker begins to see that WE have their best interests in mind.
Not a slam at Obama at all, but man, if trump finds a way around EVERYTHING, why can't we??? Fortune Favors The Bold!
onetexan
(13,041 posts)pansypoo53219
(20,976 posts)Doitnow
(1,103 posts)he won't have time to get on track with the rot that he thinks up to keep the rest of us all off balance constantly. Keep it coming!! Constantly.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)jmowreader
(50,557 posts)The Ivanka Act: Every person performing official or unofficial duties for the Executive Office of the President must be paid for their service.
Trump is skating around the anti-nepotism laws by having his demon spawn inflict damage on the country without pay. The Ivanka Act will exempt the president's spouse from the anti-nepotism laws so the spouse can receive a government salary (what do you think, pay the president's spouse as much as we pay a congressman? Admittedly the one we got really doesn't care, but it would have been nice to slip Michelle Obama a few bucks.) but will stop the president's children, uncles, aunts, sons-in-law and whoever else the Tasmanian Devil decides to give jobs to from working in the White House.