WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Reps. Tom Tiffany (WI-07) and Tony Wied (WI-08) introduced the Oversight for Members And Relatives Act, known as the OMAR Act. The legislation would end the practice of federal candidates using campaign funds to financially benefit their spouses. It would also require disclosure of any campaign-related payments made to immediate family members.
“Public office should never be used to pad a family’s bank account. For years, members of both parties have blurred ethical lines by paying their spouses with campaign funds and labeling it ‘campaign work.’ The OMAR Act ends this practice and restores integrity to a system that’s been abused for far too long,” said Congressman Tom Tiffany.
“Members of Congress are sent to Washington to represent the interests of their constituents—not to line their spouses’ pockets with campaign funds,” said Congressman Tony Wied. “We’ve seen far too many egregious examples of politicians exploiting loopholes for personal gain, and the American people are sick of it. I’m proud to stand with Rep. Tiffany to introduce the OMAR Act and put a stop to these shady practices once and for all.”
Background:
For years, lawmakers from both parties have exploited a loophole that allows candidates to pay their spouses with campaign funds, effectively pocketing political donations by labeling them as campaign expenses.
Fox News reported that one incumbent House member from Minnesota, Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05), “paid nearly $2.8 million to her husband’s political consulting firm” during the 2019-2020 cycle, accounting for nearly 70% of her third-quarter disbursements. To put that number in perspective, it exceeds the total amount all members of Congress paid their immediate relatives during the entire 2012 election cycle combined.
In 2007, Rep. Adam Schiff called for a ban on campaign payments to spouses, describing it as “an important step forward in restoring the public’s confidence that elected officials are working in the public’s interest and not their own.” The bill is modeled on a bipartisan proposal introduced in the 110th Congress, which passed the House without opposition and was supported at the time by members of the House Democratic leadership.
The full text of the OMAR Act can be found here. You can read more from Blaze Media here.
