Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) yesterday afternoon joined Senate and House Democrats on the steps of the United States Capitol to unveil the newest plank of their bold economic agenda, A Better Deal for Our Democracy, to fix Washington’s broken political system and return to a government of, by and for the American people. The new plank of Democrats’ A Better Deal agenda focuses on taking back the power from special interests and getting rid of the pay-to-play culture of corruption, cronyism and incompetence embodied by the Trump administration, which has led to political dysfunction and a raw deal for the American people.
“Once upon a time, Donald Trump said he didn’t want Koch money or anything else from them. It turns out the Kochs and other self-interested billionaires have installed their corporate operatives throughout the Trump administration. And when the special interests are calling the shots, that can have profound implications for public health, the environment and the economy,” said Whitehouse. “This is not democracy. This is the corruption of democracy to benefit narrow special interests at everyone else’s expense.”
The A Better Deal for Democracy proposal would:
- Empower American voters to ensure responsive government,
- Strengthen our nation’s ethics laws to fight special interests; and
- Fix our broken campaign finance system to combat big money influence.
“President Trump famously campaigned on ‘draining the swamp’ but so far he has filled it up with pay-to-play schemes inside and outside his administration. From Michael Cohen cashing in more than a million dollars promising influence of the president, to Mick Mulvaney admitting to donors that donations equal access, President Trump has made it clear that draining the swamp is yet another broken promise,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). “Democrats are proposing a better deal for the American people – one that actually cleans up corruption and loosens the vice-grip that special interests have over Washington Republicans and the Trump administration by strengthening our nation’s ethics laws to restore integrity to government service.”
Last month, Whitehouse and five Democratic Senate colleagues sent letters to President Donald Trump and several cabinet officials asking for documents that shed light on the Koch brothers’ sweeping infiltration of the Trump administration and how the Kochs’ sophisticated network of front groups and operatives have manipulated the American government.
The full plan can be viewed here.
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