LEGISLATIVE PACKAGE TO DEMAND TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY FROM THE WHITE HOUSE INTRODUCED

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by: Adrianno Espaillat (D-NY, 13th)

Washington, D.C. - April 3, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- Representative Adrianno Espaillat (D-NY, 13th) introduced a series of legislation to specifically address impropriety of the Trump administration and to demand transparency and accountability from the White House as new policy proposals are introduced.

“Donald Trump’s ascent to the presidency has been marred by impropriety, an abandonment of decency, and endless propagation of falsehoods,” said Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13). “Whether it is the constant distortion of news and ongoing efforts to undermine a free press, or the proliferation of blatant conflicts of interest by the president and high-level appointees, the Trump administration has continuously endangered the public’s trust in our government and undermined the general ethical standards to which government officials are held.

“Given these alarming truths, I am reintroducing a legislative package of three bills that aim to reestablish morality and civility in our government by making our government safe, opposing alternative facts, and draining the swamp of the Trump administration’s corruption.”

Make Our Government Safe Act: would amend the National Security Act of 1947 to prevent someone who has threatened to destroy the U.S. government from participating in or attending National Security Council meetings.

Opposing Fake news and Alternative Facts resolution: a measure that calls on President Trump to immediately acknowledge his support of the First Amendment and express his support for U.S. democracy. The White House spokespersons who offer “alternative” or inaccurate facts should retract their statements immediately.

Drain the Swamp and the President’s Assets Act: amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to prohibit the president from holding any asset that would be considered a disqualifying financial interest under applicable criminal code provisions. The president may place any such asset into a blind trust. The trustee or other entity who is involved in the management or control of the blind trust shall divest the blind trust of such asset. Finally, the bill makes clear that a violation of its provisions constitutes an impeachable offense.

The 'Honest Ads Act' Would Help Expose the Special Interests Behind Online Political Ads

Source: Free Press

Washington, D.C. - October 24, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Sens. Amy Klobuchar, John McCain and Mark Warner introduced the “Honest Ads Act.” The bill is Congress’ first effort since last year’s election to introduce some transparency and accountability in the massive online political-advertising market on platforms like Facebook, Google and Twitter.

The bill requires online platforms with a monthly average of at least 50 million unique monthly visitors to maintain a searchable record of ads “made by or on behalf of a candidate” and of those communicating a “message relating to any political matter of national importance.”

The bill also includes penalties for noncompliance and requires the platforms to take reasonable measures to reject political ads purchased by foreign nationals. The legislation would strengthen prohibitions in current law against foreign nationals’ involvement in U.S. elections.

Free Press Action Fund Policy Counsel Gaurav Laroia made the following statement:

“This bill represents a necessary first step toward ensuring there are adequate protections against the abuse of social media and other online platforms to shape the news and information we consume and influence the choices we make in a democracy.

“We can’t understand what we can’t see. As online advertising grows, the public must be able to know who is paying to influence our elections. The bill represents the tip of a very large iceberg as new media gatekeepers like Facebook, Google and Twitter come under much-needed scrutiny for their role in our economy and our society. This bipartisan effort to better understand and disclose the forces seeking to influence our elections is a good place to start.”

Davidson Introduces "CBO Show Your Work" Act

Source: House Representative Warren Davidson (R-OH, 8th)

Washington, D.C. - September 26, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Rep. Warren Davidson (OH-08) and Republican Study Committee Chairman Rep. Mark Walker (NC-06) introduced the “CBO Show Your Work” Act in the House on Monday pushing for the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to disclose the formulas it uses when providing budget and economic information to Congress and the public.

"Transparency provides a strong safeguard against errors, omissions and bias.

"The algorithms, datasets and methodologies in use by the CBO should be readily available for everyone to inspect and use at their own discretion. Having this data available will save precious time and staff resources as it lets congressional offices vet their legislation before submitting a final product to the CBO.

“The CBO’s delay in providing timely analysis to the House and Senate during efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare punctuates a long list of reasons why transparency and peer review are essential," said Davidson.

Claudia Tenney (NY-22) and Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) are co-sponsors to the “CBO Show Your Work” Act H.R.3822.

Background: Davidson’s bill requires the Congressional Budget Office to make the fiscal and mathematical models, data, and other details of computations used in cost analysis and scoring publicly available online.

In the Senate, Sen. Mike Lee introduced The CBO Show Your Work Act of 2017 on August 4, 2017 which is a companion to Davidson’s bill. The bill has 14 co-sponsors including, Sens. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Ron Johnson (R-WI), James Lankford (R-OK), Rand Paul (R-KY), David Perdue (R-GA), Jim Risch (R-ID), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).

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First Responders, Transparancy, Sanctuary Cities, Whistleblowers, Tsunamis, Russia and Weather

U.S. Representative Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) took to the House floor to speak on his legislation, the Medical Preparedness Allowable Use Act (H.R. 437). The bill would help boost medical countermeasures for first responders in the event of an emergency, like a terrorist attack or hurricane.

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H.R. 5 was passed in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, January 11, 2017. The six bills included in H.R. 5 include:
Regulatory Accountability Act: Requires agencies to use less costly regulations to achieve a given objective. (Title I—Regulatory Accountability Act )

Separation of Powers Restoration Act: Repeals the Chevron and Auer doctrines and enables judges to “end judicial deference to bureaucrats’ statutory and regulatory interpretations.” (Title II – Separation of Powers Restoration Act)

Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act: Requires agencies to explain how their actions affect small business owners, employees, and customers. (Title III—Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act)

REVIEW Act: Prevents new rules with billion-dollar annual costs from taking effect until litigation against them has been resolved. It would not affect current regulations. (Title IV—REVIEW Act)

ALERT Act: Requires agencies to publish already-mandatory transparency reports that they regularly dodge. (Title V—ALERT Act)

Providing Accountability Through Transparency Act: Requires agencies to publish summaries of their new rules in plain English. (Title VI—Providing Accountability Through Transparency Act)


Rep. Rob Bishop (UT-01) introduced H. J. Res. 100, a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that would provide states with the authority to repeal any federal rule or regulation if two-thirds of the states are in agreement.

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Congressman Diane Black (R-TN-06) and Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) introduced the Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act on Wednesday, January 11, 2017. The legislation, introduced with the support of 59 House cosponsors and the backing of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), would withhold key federal funding streams from jurisdictions that forbid their law enforcement officers from cooperating with federal immigration officials.

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The House of Representatives unanimously approved Congressman Rod Blum’s legislation to protect whistleblowers in the federal government by reauthorizing the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) through 2021.

The Office of Special Counsel is responsible for protecting federal employees from retaliation for whistleblowing on violations of law, mismanagement of funds, abuse of authority, or other prohibited practices within the federal government.

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Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) has introduced bipartisan legislation to help prepare coastal communities for tsunami. Several other Congressional members have sponsored the bill with Bonamici, including Representatives Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Don Young (R-AK), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Denny Heck (D-WA), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Charlie Crist (D-FL), and Derek Kilmer (D-WA). This legislation will strengthen tsunami detection and warning systems, improve response and resiliency, and better protect communities vulnerable to tsunami. The legislation would complement local and state efforts to prepare for tsunami.

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Congressman Brendan F. Boyle (PA-13), a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Oversight Committee, released the following statement regarding the recent allegations of Russian possession of incriminating material involving President-elect Donald Trump and his campaign’s coordination with Russian officials:

“If true, the intelligence report outlining allegations of Russia’s possession of compromising personal and financial information about President-elect Donald Trump is beyond unsettling and sheds great light on Mr. Trump’s oddly sympathetic approach to Russia and its meddling in our election, as determined by our intelligence community. If substantiated or verified, I will call for a formal, bipartisan congressional investigation into these scandalous and disturbing allegations.”

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On January 4, 2017, the U.S. House passed H.R. 21, the Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2017, a bill designed to provide greater congressional oversight of burdensome regulations issued during the final days of a president’s term.

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The U.S. House unanimously approved H.R. 353, the Lucas-Bridenstine Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act. This legislation prioritizes protecting lives and property.

This legislation is the product of a bipartisan effort. It directs the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to focus resources and effort to:

Rebalance NOAA funding to place a higher priority on weather-related research and activities;

Emphasize developing accurate forecasts and timely warnings of high impact weather events;

Create programs to extend warning lead times and improve forecasts for tornadoes and hurricanes;

Develop a plan to utilize advanced technology to regain U.S. superiority in weather modeling and forecasts;

Increase focus and continue development of seasonal forecasts and how to maximize information from these forecasts; and

Enhance coordination among various federal government weather stakeholders.

The legislation also authorizes and extends a NOAA pilot program already under way thanks to a partnership between the House Science Space and Technology and the House Appropriations Committee. Under this pilot program, NOAA has already issued two contracts to procure commercial satellite weather data. This pilot program could bring about a paradigm shift in how NOAA makes decisions about future procurement of critical weather data.

Right to Know Act Passes House

In the first week of the 115th Congress, Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI, 7th) introduced and passed his first piece of legislation for the new session, which will provide the American people with a better understanding of how their tax dollars are spent. H.R. 71, the Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act, requires each federal agency to annually report online an inventory of its federal programs and provide a description and cost of each program. The bipartisan bill was introduced on Tuesday along with Congressman Jim Cooper (D-TN) and unanimously passed the House today. Senator James Lankford (R-OK) is leading this effort in the Senate.

I think this is a great move by Congress, who is starting to recognize that We the People are tired of being fooled and robbed.

God is hearing our prayers:

Ephesians 4:25
“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.”