Reed Offers Statement on Changes to Congressional Ethics Office

Tom Reed offered the following statement regarding the proposed changes to the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) under the House rules:

“We care about upholding the spirit of the Congressional ethics laws. That is why we opposed the changes to the House rules that would have reformed the Office of Congressional Ethics. It’s important to recognize that the OCE has not been reformed since its inception in 2008 and does warrant further review, but these changes go too far. That is why we stood against the changes when they were discussed by the Republican conference. Going forward, we believe the right path is to ensure the independence of the body charged with Congressional oversight.”

Reed outlined his opposition to the measure during a conference call with journalists throughout the region this morning. Since the call, the House has removed changes to the OCE from the Rules package. It’s expected the House rules, or the procedures that govern the House of Representatives during the 115th Congress, will be adopted by the legislative body later this afternoon.