Contact: Jordan Dunn
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) today introduced a package of common-sense reforms that would help make Congress better serve the American people. The bills would change the incentive structure for members of Congress and high ranking executive branch officials by putting into place tough lobbying restrictions, terminating tax-payer funded pensions for members of Congress, and requiring Congress to stay in session until it passes a balanced budget.
“Washington is broken because its structure incentivizes politicians to maintain the status quo, get famous in cable newsrooms, and cash out for a cushy job on K street. Until we fix these problems, the jerseys may change, but the results will be the same,” said Rep. Gallagher. “Our time here should be viewed as a deployment, and these simple, straightforward reforms will help us better represent the American people and bring Congress one step closer to functioning the way the Founders intended it to. We owe it to our constituents to serve the people, not the swamp.”
The package consists of two bills. The first would reinstate and codify into law the ethics pledge President Trump signed in 2017, which restricted executive branch employees from lobbying for five years and prevented these individuals from lobbying on behalf of foreign governments. Click HERE for bill text.
The second, titled the Serve the People, not the Swamp Act, would prevent Congress from going into recess without first adopting a balanced federal budget, establish a 5-year ban on lobbying for Members of Congress and high-ranking executive branch officials, and terminate taxpayer-funded pensions for Members of Congress. Click HERE to read bill text.
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