WOLF: LOBBYING REFORM BILL DOES NOT GO FAR ENOUGH

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10th) issued the following statement concerning the lobbying reform bill considered today in the House:

“Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4975 because I do not believe it is truly reform and ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks.

“I had looked forward to the day on the floor when the House by its actions could demonstrate to the American people that we take seriously the call for bold reforms in the wake of recent lobbying and ethics scandals.

“In reviewing H.R. 4975, the Lobbying Accountability and Transparency Act, I am disappointed to say that today is not that day.

“Last week I read in The Washington Post that some members are saying people don’t care about lobby reform. Well I care and I believe the American people care, too. A Washington Post-ABC News poll last month showed that 63 percent of Americans called ‘corruption in Washington’ important to them.

“Having worked in Washington for over three decades, I understand that lobbying is a part of everyday life in the nation's capital. Every day, good people walk the halls of Congress making the case for their constituency, advocating on any number of issues and causes with great passion and insight from cancer research to education reform to human rights awareness to environmental protection.

“Yet something has gone terribly wrong with the general culture of Washington. Standards of conduct have shifted. What is acceptable today would not have been tolerated 20 years ago.

“We must break the cycle of "Washington business as usual" which has impugned the honor and integrity of this institution.

“The American people demand honesty and integrity in their government – as they should. Cosmetic changes will not suffice. Bold, sweeping reforms must be enacted.

“Sadly, the bill before us today fails to meet that test, and I cannot support it.

“I was encouraged when we began this process in early January and members were urged by the House leadership to provide ideas and suggestions on changes in lobby and gift rules. I sent a three-page letter with several recommendations which I believe should be a part of this debate. Several committees were then given the opportunity to come up with reforms under their jurisdiction.

“But tinkering around the edges is not real reform. I believe this bill fails to fully acknowledge that the current system is broken, and it fails to offer genuine reform.

“It pains me to say that we have reached the point where the ethics process in Congress has become paralyzed and unworkable. Bipartisanship and comity which used to be the norm have been replaced with partisanship and animosity. Rules with no enforcement are useless.

“We had the opportunity through this legislation to establish an independent, non-partisan Office of Public Integrity to provide credibility in the ethics process and ensure fairness for every member on both sides of the aisle. But this bill has no provision to create that office.

“While this legislation offers some increased lobbying disclosure reporting requirements and penalties for noncompliance, it doesn’t go far enough.

“With regard to the revolving door between congressional service and lobbying Congress, current law is a one-year cooling off period, and as I read it, this bill keeps the status quo, opening the door after a one-year ban – albeit with some added notification and disclosure requirements. To show real reform, we should be debating keeping the door closed for a much longer period of time, similar to the Senate bill which I understand is a two-year ban.

“And it’s not just Congress where the revolving door should be shut longer. I believe the executive branch needs scrutiny.

“My amendment was made in order to restrict former ambassadors and CIA station chiefs from lobbying on behalf of the foreign nations where they have been stationed. Currently, an ambassador can leave the service of the United States one day and be hired the very next day as an agent of foreign nation where they had served. These officials see every decision the United States makes in relation to that country. They have access to intelligence, policy documents and other confidential information.

“But under today’s rules, the day they leave they have every legal right to use that same information on behalf of a foreign nation. Being an ambassador or CIA station chief is a high honor. That person becomes the face of our nation in the country where they are serving. We must safeguard the integrity of these positions.

“Yet how can we debate subjecting certain executive branch officials to a five-year revolving door statute when this bill fails to extend the cooling off period for members leaving Congress or even allow debate on this matter? Therefore, I am withdrawing my amendment.

“We also are supposedly here today considering legislation to tighten lobbying regulations in large part because of the lobbying scandal associated with former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the information revealed about his ties to tribal casinos. The corruption which has been associated with the explosion of tribal gambling and political contribution is an issue I’ve been concerned about for nearly 10 years and one I have raised on this House floor numerous times.

“These revelations have focused renewed attention on the need for Congress to thoroughly review the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. We should have a provision in this bill to close the tribal contribution loophole that allows funneling of millions of dollars into campaign coffers.

“How can we even begin to call this the Lobbying Accountability and Transparency Act without addressing the issues that initially fueled this debate?

“Then we come to the issue of so-called earmark reform. True reform and transparency in the process of identifying how taxpayer dollars are being spent must be comprehensive reform. The spotlight has to shine on every committee – appropriating and authorizing including the tax writing committee. Lobbyists don’t limit their work to appropriations issues. They lobby year round advocating for a myriad of issues across the committees of Congress – tax credits, defense programs, transportation projects. The narrow focus on only the appropriations process in the bill as written is not real reform. Real earmark reform must include projects in authorization bills like the ‘Bridge to Nowhere.’

“We had an opportunity today to make true, fundamental, substantive reforms in the way business is done in Washington and restore the confidence of the American people in this institution. This legislation before us and the few amendments allowed under the rule fail this institution and the American people. More amendments should have been allowed from members of both parties.

“In a 1799 letter to Patrick Henry, George Washington said, ‘The views of Men can only be known, or guessed at, by their words or actions.’ Would our Founding Fathers think our actions today are the best we can do to restore integrity to this institution?

“I think they would say we can and we must do better.”