Lofgren Says Republican Lobbying Bill Does Not Clean Up Congress

Media Contact: Kyra Jennings, 202.225.3072

Today, the House passed H.R. 4975, the Republican-crafted Lobbying Accountability Act. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) managed the time for the Democrats during the debate on the bill’s seven amendments and offered the following statement in opposition:

“The public has watched this Congress bend and break the rules over the past few years and I think they’ve had it. It’s going to take more than ethics seminars and gift disclosures to convince the people that we’re really interested in cleaning up Congress. This bill doesn’t accomplish the real problem-solving that this country is crying out for and will not clean up the ethics swamp that this country is so concerned about.

“This bill fails to fundamentally reform a culture of corruption. It does not end the practice of lobbyists giving gifts to Members of Congress and their staffs. It does not end the practice of Members using corporate jets. It does not require disclosure of lobbyists bundling contributions to Members of Congress. It does not end the practice of leaving votes open to twist arms and lobby Members on the floor of the House. It does nothing to close the revolving door from government service to personal gain. It does nothing to clean up our campaign finance system to take special interest money out of politics. The bottom line is this bill really doesn’t actually reform the system that has the American people so concerned and rightly so.

“This bill isn’t going to change anybody’s mind that this Republican-controlled House is serious about cleaning up the mess that is here. It’s the entire system that’s a problem. It’s a culture that leads to corruption that we must try to correct. This Republican lobbying bill does not succeed in cleaning up that swamp. I wish this whole bill was a lot more than it is.”