Bill to Curb Government Corruption

Washington, D.C. - January 29, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- Congressman Ruben Gallego, Congressman Ted W. Lieu, Congressman David Cicilline, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo announced they are introducing the Restoring the Public Trust Act of 2019. The bill package incorporates a number of pieces of legislation aimed at strengthening ethical standards in the federal government to prevent government corruption and ensure accountability for the American public.

Upon introduction, the Members said:

“Trump and his administration have made a mockery of government ethics, demonstrating the weak spots in our current laws. He has normalized unethical behavior in a way that was once unthinkable, proving that we need stronger ethics laws. The damage that Trump has done to the public’s confidence in its government won’t be easy to fix but this bill ensures that those gaping holes in our anticorruption and ethics laws are addressed. In doing so, we will course correct our government to ensure it is working for the people, which is a key Democratic priority this Congress. The Restoring the Public Trust Act helps us do the critical work of rebuilding the public’s faith in government.”

The Restoring the Public Trust Act is endorsed By: American Oversight; Campaign for Accountability, Common Cause and Public Citizen.

The bill will include the following provisions:

TITLE I: Draining the Swamp

The SWAMP Act: The President must reimburse the Treasury Department for taxpayer dollars spent at properties in which he has a financial stake, like Mar-a-Lago.

The SWAMP FLYERS Act: Prohibits the use of federal funds for the official travel of a senior political appointee on a non-commercial, private, or chartered flight unless they certify – under penalty of perjury – that no alternative flight was available.

The E. Scott Pruitt Accountability for Government Officials Act: Creates a federal criminal penalty for use of public office for private gain, endorsement of products, or aiding family and friends for corrupt purposes.

CORRUPT Act: The head of each agency must submit to the Office of Government Ethics a report on the amount expended by that agency to any property owned by the President or his family.

RIGGED Act: Makes the federal nepotism laws applicable to the Executive Office of the President.

DRAIN the Swamp Act: The head of each agency must submit to the Comptroller General an assessment of any regulatory conflict of interest pertaining to the President and various senior advisors that might arise from an agency’s rule.

TITLE II: Rooting Out Conflicts of Interest

CLEARANCES Act (COMMONSENSE LEGISLATION ENSURING ACCOUNTABILITY BY REPORTING ACCESS OF NON-CLEARED EMPLOYEES TO SECRETS): The White House must report to Congress when it grants a security clearance in contravention of an unfavorable clearance recommendation, in part to prevent dangerous and heavily indebted individuals from entering the most sensitive positions in government.

Blind Trusts: Requires members of the President’s Cabinet and certain senior White House advisors to place stocks, bonds, commodities futures, other forms of securities in a blind trust during their tenure.

Preventing domestic emoluments: Prohibits any business interest owned in whole or in part by the President or Vice President, his/her spouse, or immediate family member from doing business with the federal government.

Presidential Tax Transparency Act: Requires all candidates for President to release their tax returns for the past three years.

No more shadow White House meetings: Require the White House to maintain a publicly accessible website that includes data on visitor logs.

TITLE III: Strengthening Our Inspectors General

Protecting our inspectors general: Requires notification to Congress of a president’s decision to place an agency inspector general – whose job is to root out waste, fraud, and corruption – on leave or to change their status in any way.

Filling empty inspector general positions: Requires the President report to Congress if he or she fails to nominate an Inspector General for a given agency, including a target date for making a formal recommendation.

Gallagher Introduces the Serve the People, Not the Swamp Act

Washington, D.C. - January 29, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI, 8th) introduced H.R. 765, the “Serve the People, Not the Swamp Act”, a collection of common-sense Congressional reforms he has supported since his first term in office. The bill 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 the bill.

Gallagher released the following statement after introducing the bill:

“We need our representatives to get back to viewing their time in Congress as a deployment, not as a path to a cushy lobbying job with a special pension. Members of Congress shouldn’t be getting retirement deals funded by taxpayers, and we shouldn’t be leaving town for weeks at a time when we haven’t even completed Congress’s most basic task of passing a budget each year. These ideas haven’t made me popular in D.C., but I didn’t run for Congress to be popular. I ran to fix problems and that’s what I’m going to continue to do.”

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard: We’re One State Away From the Equal Rights Amendment

Washington, D.C. - January 29, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) spoke on the House floor, urging passage of the Equal Rights Amendment to guarantee legal gender equality for women and men under the U.S. Constitution.



Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said:

“It's been nearly 100 years since women fought for and won the right to vote. Yet, we still do not have equal rights and protection under the United States Constitution. There are too many examples in our everyday lives where women still do not get equal pay for equal work and where we still face discrimination simply for being a woman.

“In 1923, the Equal Rights Amendment was introduced in Congress to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, and was reintroduced every session until it finally passed in 1972. However, because of an arbitrary deadline in 1982, by that time, only 35 states out of the required 38 had ratified the amendment. In the past two years, we've inched forward with successful votes in Nevada and Illinois, and now we're just one state away from finally passing the Equal Rights Amendment. This is not about politics. It's about equality. It's about humanity. It's long overdue that we pass the Equal Rights Amendment and include equality between men and women in the United States Constitution.”

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has fought for equal treatment and opportunity for all Americans throughout her time in Congress. She has cosponsored a joint resolution that will remove the arbitrary deadline for state ratification and allow for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. She has also cosponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act to strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and guarantee that women can challenge pay discrimination and hold employers accountable.

Related News:

Hastings’ Statement on the Introduction of the Paycheck Fairness Act

The Cost of Shutdown

Washington, D.C. - January 29, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- Vincente Gonzalez (D-TX, 15th) issued the following statement following a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report that the Trump Shutdown cost the U.S. economy $11 billion from Q4 of 2018 to Q1 to 2019. The report states that $3 billion was lost permanently.

“Financial uncertainty for federal employees, economic turmoil in the markets, and a silencing of critical government services are unacceptable – a far cry from anything resembling ‘security.’

“This week, as thousands of federal workers return to work, many do so with the burden of missing paychecks, credit risks, and thousands of unread e-mails, among other serious issues. The 15th District of Texas holds one of the highest employment rates of federal workers in the nation. This hit home. This hit my constituents, friends, neighbors, and my own community.

“President Trump and Congressional Republicans must join Democrats, as public servants – held accountable by oath, to enact legislation that provides responsible government funding before the February 15 deadline. The American people and economy cannot afford another government shutdown.”

The Democrats could have easily kept the government open. All they had to do was give Trump the 3 Billion that the pending shutdown was gonna cost. Now, no one gets it. Another government shutdown would have completely paid for the Wall. So, it's not on Trump. It's on the Democrats. The 3 Billion could have gone toward paying American workers to build the wall, ultimately going into the economy. Instead, Democrats want to play hardball.

Immigrants Participating in Health and Nutrition Programs Become Latest Target of Trump Administration Deportation Efforts

Washington, D.C. - January 24, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- Over the weekend, the Trump administration released a proposed rule to dramatically expand how individuals’ use of critical health programs and services to meet basic living requirements like food and shelter may be evaluated to determine eligibility for green cards or admission to the United States. As stated in the proposed rule, a person may be denied admission to the US, lawful permanent resident (LPR) status or a visa extension on “public charge” grounds if they use certain health, nutrition, and housing programs.

These drastic proposed changes to how public charge is evaluated in the immigration system will have sweeping implications for how immigrant families access health care in the United States, potentially discouraging millions of eligible individuals from receiving medical attention, while exacerbating child poverty, hunger and homelessness. The publication of the proposed changes to public charge opens a 60-day comment period in which advocates and the public can respond.

Said Erin Quinn, Senior Staff Attorney at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center:

“Rather than allowing eligible families to access the support they need to stay healthy and thrive, the Trump administration is targeting the most vulnerable with this proposed rule. It would force immigrants to make the choice between receiving care to cover the basic needs for themselves and their families or endangering their immigration status. This is not a choice that any individual should have to make and it is one that betrays our country’s storied commitment to compassion and opportunity.

“This unacceptable proposal is the latest effort in this administration’s ongoing effort to dismantle a system that serves as a safety net for those trying to make a life in the United States. We all benefit from healthy communities and we should be protecting this already-underserved population, not threatening their ability to live legally in this country if they access the few assurances of health and safety available to them.

“This is the latest move in the Trump agenda to target people of color—but the narrow, outdated vision Trump promotes of who belongs no longer holds true as a majority of Americans support humane immigration policies. Furthermore, this proposed rule change undermines our communities and families--cornerstones of American life.”

Importantly, this proposed rule is not yet law. The ILRC joins other advocacy groups in submitting comments to the proposed rule change during the 60-day comment period. We will continue to work with immigrants and their families to ensure they do not forego critical benefits and services for which they are eligible. This rule change does not affect lawful permanent residents who are seeking naturalization. Unless and until this rule is enacted, immigrants can continue to use programs for which they qualify without any new immigration-related consequence.

HRC Responds to HHS Discriminating Against Jewish, LGBTQ, and Other Families

Washington, D.C. - January 24, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) organization, responded to a decision by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to grant a waiver from federal non-discrimination requirements to South Carolina’s Foster Care Program, which has contracted with a child welfare provider who seeks permission to refuse to serve prospective parents who do not share their religious beliefs, but who wants to continue to receive federal funding to provide those services. South Carolina requested the waiver to allow federal funds to go to a child welfare agency that refused to place children with Jewish families. By granting that waiver, HHS is opening the door to federally-funded discrimination justified by religious belief against any number of prospective parents, including single parents, LGBTQ individuals or same-sex couples, parents who may previously have been divorced, interfaith couples, or people of deep faith that happens to be of another religion.

“Every decision that is made by a provider of child welfare services must be grounded in doing what is the best interest of the child, period. Providing care for these kids is critically important, and too many kids languish in the foster care system because there aren’t enough foster and adoptive parents for each child. Allowing a federal contractor the ability to refuse to work with qualified prospective parents - limiting the pool of prospective parents even further - is directly counter to the best interests of the children waiting for families,” said Cathryn Oakley, HRC State Legislative Director & Senior Counsel. “The federal government has a compelling interest in ensuring federal contractors are providing quality care, and in ensuring that taxpayers aren’t footing the bill for taxpayer-funded discrimination. This waiver is unconscionable, in no small part because it prioritizes federal contractors over kids in need of families.”

Federal law prohibits discrimination in federally-funded programs against foster parents on religious grounds, but ten states permit discrimination by state-licensed foster care organizations against LGBTQ people,same-sex coupless and others if doing so conflicts with the organization’s religious beliefs.

HRC recently released a report, titled Disregarding the Best Interest of the Child: License to Discriminate In Child Welfare Services, detailing the harms of efforts to write anti-LGBTQ discrimination by child welfare agencies into law. Statistics suggest that an estimated two million LGBTQ adults in the U.S. are interested in adoption, but the LGBTQ community often remains an untapped resource when it comes to finding families for children and youth in foster care. The report debunks the myth that having more providers is the key to higher rates of placement in homes; the bottleneck is not the number of providers, but the number of prospective parents. Where providers have ceased to provide services rather than comply with nondiscrimination laws, placement rates did not decrease.significantly as a result.

Further, research consistently shows that LGBTQ youth are overrepresented in the foster care system, as many have been rejected by their families of origin because of their LGBTQ status, and are especially vulnerable to discrimination and mistreatment while in foster care. Granting this waiver will only exacerbate these challenges faced by LGBTQ young people.

Schiff and Cummings Statement on Intimidation of Michael Cohen

Washington, D.C. - January 24, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Rep. Adam Schiff, the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement in response to a request received by Michael Cohen to postpone his upcoming testimony before Congress:

“We have received Mr. Cohen’s notice postponing his voluntary appearance in an open hearing before the Committee on Oversight and Reform. We certainly understand the completely legitimate concerns for the safety and security of Mr. Cohen and his family members in light of the attacks last week by President Trump and again this past weekend by his attorney, Rudy Giuliani.

“As we stated previously with our colleague, Chairman Jerry Nadler of the Judiciary Committee, efforts to intimidate witnesses, scare their family members, or prevent them from testifying before Congress are textbook mob tactics that we condemn in the strongest terms. Our nation’s laws prohibit efforts to discourage, intimidate, or otherwise pressure a witness not to provide testimony to Congress. The President should make no statement or take any action to obstruct Congress’ independent oversight and investigative efforts, including by seeking to discourage any witness from testifying in response to a duly authorized request from Congress.

“We understand that Mr. Cohen’s wife and other family members fear for their safety after these attacks, and we have repeatedly offered our assistance to work with law enforcement to enhance security measures for Mr. Cohen and his family.

“Nevertheless, when our Committees began discussions with Mr. Cohen’s attorney, not appearing before Congress was never an option. We will not let the President’s tactics prevent Congress from fulfilling our constitutionally mandated oversight responsibilities. This will not stop us from getting to the truth. We expect Mr. Cohen to appear before both Committees, and we remain engaged with his counsel about his upcoming appearances.”

Democratic Leaders Condemn Trump Administration Move to Allow Discrimination in Foster Care

Washington, D.C. - January 24, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) released the following statement regarding the Trump administration’s decision to allow foster care placement agencies to discriminate using federal funds:

“Through today’s decision, the Trump administration is endorsing discrimination by giving taxpayer money to foster care entities that discriminate against foster parents based on religious beliefs. Even worse, this waiver allows the foster care system to engage in discrimination that ignores the best interests of our most vulnerable children and exacerbates the shortage of qualified foster parents.

“We must reject all attempts to discriminate based on race, religion, or any other protected class. But for a taxpayer-funded organization to deny children a loving home based on religious beliefs is a particularly egregious violation of a fundamental American principle.”

Healthcare Leadership Council Endorses Bipartisan Legislation to Extend Health Insurance Tax Delay for Two Years

Washington, D.C. - January 24, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- A multi-sector alliance of healthcare leaders has endorsed bipartisan Senate legislation that would prevent the health insurance tax, currently suspended until the end of 2019, from being implemented for two additional years.

The Healthcare Leadership Council, comprised of chief executives from the nation’s leading healthcare companies, said it will support the “Health Insurance Tax Relief Act,” introduced by Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Doug Jones (D-AL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ).

The tax, applied to health insurers on the premiums they collect, would result in higher health coverage costs, for tens of millions of consumers and employers. According to the Oliver Wyman consulting firm, if the tax goes into effect, annual premiums will rise by more than $450 for families in either the large or small group markets. Individuals in the non-group market would pay nearly $200 more per year.

“This is an unnecessary, counterproductive tax that would make health insurance less affordable for millions of American families,” said HLC president Mary R. Grealy. “There is much work to be done in this Congress to bring greater stability to the health insurance marketplace and contain healthcare costs through value-focused reforms, but lawmakers must start by preventing the harm that will occur if this tax becomes effective at the end of the year.”

Ms. Grealy said must act expeditiously on this legislation because health insurers will soon be determining their rates for 2020 and will have to factor in the expected costs from this tax if it is not eliminated or suspended.

“We’re very pleased that this effort has such strong bipartisan leadership,” said Ms. Grealy. “The sponsors of this legislation deserve praise for reaching across the aisle to seek health coverage affordability for patients and consumers.”

Big News For California’s Gun Owners: U.S. Supreme Court Set To Hear The First Major 2nd Amendment Case In Ten Years.

Springfield, VA - January 24, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- the United States Supreme Court granted a Writ of Certiorari in NYSRP v. NY City, a case in which Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Gun Owners Foundation (GOF) have submitted an amicus brief.

This case challenges New York City’s near-prohibition on possessing or transporting handguns, and this is the first major Second Amendment challenge to be reviewed by the Supreme Court in almost a decade.

GOA’s executive director, Erich Pratt, stated, “Gun owners across the country — especially those ‘behind enemy lines’ living in anti-gun states — are rejoicing that the Supreme Court is taking up a Second Amendment case. For far too long, judges have ignored the Second Amendment, along with the Heller and McDonald decisions, instead employing a ‘balancing’ test that effectively leaves gun owners in anti-gun states with a second-class right to keep and bear arms.”

In fact, GOA’s brief specifically challenges the “balancing” approach taken by judges in the lower courts.

GOA’s brief states, “Heller and McDonald leave little doubt that courts are to assess gun bans and regulations based on text, history, and tradition, not by a balancing test … [where judges] usurp the role of the Framers of the Second Amendment.”

“GOA’s hard-hitting brief before the Supreme Court cuts to the heart of this problem by arguing that judges have to follow the Constitution — and the text of the Second Amendment — rather than imposing their own preconceived views upon the text,” Pratt concluded.

GOA’s brief can be viewed here.