Making Government Work for All Americans

For a PDF version of the Democratic Agenda, please click here.

• Rooting Out Waste, Fraud, and Abuse. 
  
  Every taxpayer dollar squandered is a dollar that could be used to provide equipment to our troops, rebuild a school, or restore a road or bridge. We are investigating waste in government contracting—both at home and abroad in Afghanistan and elsewhere. We are also examining the effectiveness of government operations and identifying vulnerabilities to waste, fraud, and abuse.
  
  

• Promoting Transparency and Accountability. 
  
  Oversight Committee Democrats are at the forefront of strengthening and expanding our nation’s open government laws. We are working to preserve federal records in today’s electronic age, and we are promoting efforts to protect whistleblowers who come forward to report abuse.

  TURNING WORDS INTO ACTION:

• Improving Contractor Oversight: Ranking Member Cummings highlighted the importance of improving contractor oversight in the Federal Government and invited Senator Claire McCaskill to testify before the House Committee.

• Committee Democrats Introduced Landmark Open Government Legislation, HR 1144. The legislation combines five component bills that passed the House last Congress with widespread bipartisan support, including Issa’s. The legislation would enhance transparency and accountability in government by providing greater access to presidential records, securing electronic messages, enhancing the effectiveness of federal advisory panels, requiring greater public disclosure of library donor information, and giving the Government Accountability Office more authority to access agency records.

• Cummings Sent Letter to Issa on Unilateral Subpoenas of DOJ and Dangers of Interfering with the Department’s Investigation: The letter was intended to memorialize Ranking Member Cummings’ serious concerns with the unilateral subpoena you issued to the Department of Justice, despite his objection.

• Cummings Issued Statement on Threats of Contempt Charges by Chairman Issa to ATF: "Our Committee has a responsibility to investigate allegations of waste, fraud and abuse.  However, despite my repeated requests, Chairman Issa has refused to meet with the Department of Justice to ensure that his actions do not compromise ongoing investigations and prosecutions, including a trial of 20 individuals that is scheduled to begin in June."

• Cummings Called on Issa to Reconsider Vote on Transparency Bill: On May 5 Issa wrote to Ranking Member Cummings that he “does not intend to consider H.R. 1144 in Committee.” During a Committee hearing on corporate campaign contributions, Issa refused to allow testimony from Fred Wertheimer, a leading expert on government transparency who would have testified on behalf of a coalition of 34 open government groups that strongly support the bill.
  
  

• Putting the Needs of Americans Ahead of the Demands of Corporate Special Interest. 
  
  Corporate tax loopholes, subsidies to oil companies, and profit protections for drug companies cost our nation billions of dollars. We are examining ways to help level the economic playing field, reform the tax code to lift up all Americans, and reset the economy to reflect our core values of fairness and prosperity.
  
  TURNING WORDS INTO ACTION:
  
  
  • Ending Royalty-free Leases: Ranking Member Cummings called on Chairman Issa to support legislation to end royalty-free oil leases – and ensure that taxpayers were getting a fair return on oil profits.

  • Cummings Op-Ed in The Hill on the Presidential EO and Transparency. “Reality seems to have been flipped on its head in the debate over the administration’s draft executive order to require federal contractors to disclose more information about their campaign contributions. It used to be that transparency was a solution, not a problem.”

  • Committee Democrats Issue an Oil Report and Call for Investigation in Impact of Speculation on Oil Prices. The report titled “Real Help for American Consumers: Who’s Profiting at the Pump?” found that “addressing excessive speculation offers the single most significant opportunity to reduce the price of gas for American consumers.”