The Time Is Now to Restore the Public’s Trust

The ethical scandals that have plagued the nation’s Capitol in recent years have eroded the public’s trust in government. That deterioration in trust has been especially acute on Capitol Hill, where all of our decisions are made with an eye toward advancing the interests of the people we serve. As such, we rely on the feedback and input we receive from our constituents in making decisions regarding taxation, national security and healthcare. If the American people don’t trust their government, we as legislators don’t receive this critical feedback, and we can no longer be sure that our decisions adequately reflect the interests of those we serve.

That is why I am pursuing a two-pronged effort to restore public trust in government by deterring federal policymakers from engaging in unethical conduct.

The first prong sends a message to federal officials – and the public at large – that unethical conduct will not be tolerated. Last year, when I served as Chairman of the Government Reform Committee, I held a hearing on a legislative proposal that would deny federal retirement benefits to any member of Congress, congressional employee or political appointee convicted of a crime related to public corruption that was punishable by more than one year imprisonment while the individual was employed by the federal government. This proposal was not intended to be a cure-all that would magically restore public trust in government. Instead the goal was to restore a modicum of public trust in government by making it clear that Congress would not tolerate federal policymakers engaging in unethical conduct at the public’s expense. This seemingly common-sense proposal received unanimous support from members of the Committee, but it proved too big a pill to swallow in the House. Due to opposition from members in both parties the proposal was not included in the House Republican leadership’s ethics reform package last year, and it has not yet been included in any House Democratic leadership’s ethics reform package this year.

The second prong requires disclosure of contacts by government officials. Just last week, the Government Oversight Committee unanimously approved the Executive Branch Reform Act, legislation that was first introduced by myself and Henry Waxman in April 2006. Among other reforms, the legislation would ensure that the behavior of our public servants is above reproach by requiring executive branch officials to disclose any contacts involving the discussion of pending agency business. In doing so, this legislation attempts to strike that fine balance between reasonable and focused rules of ethical behavior and overly broad restrictions and prohibitions that hamstring agency officials and prevent them from exercising the discretion needed to perform their missions. We were not able to get this important legislation to the President’s desk last Congress but I am optimistic that we will be able to do so this Congress.

Restoring the public’s trust in government will not happen overnight. More likely, it will take years. Congress must do its part to restore that trust by enacting real reform that will provide the public with assurances that government officials are honest and decent and that the laws governing the behavior of those officials take a hard line against unethical behavior. By pursuing this two-pronged effort, I believe Congress can take a substantial step forward in regaining some of the public trust that we have lost as a result of the countless political scandals that have plagued our government in recent years.