When House Republicans tried in 2017 Investigate the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE)hundreds of thousands of outraged Americans appealed to their country's representatives to preserve this independent watchdog. Then-President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on “draining the swamp” and complained that House Republicans were trying to destroy OCE. tweeted“There is so much Congress needs to address, but should weakening independent ethics watchdogs really be a top priority?”
House Republicans ultimately relented, but as the new Congress approaches in January, the question remains whether they will keep OCE in place or allow corruption to flourish. It has become an unfortunate tradition in recent years for newly elected Congresses to try to quell OCE attacks. Elected officials on both sides of the aisle are guilty of this, especially those who have been the subject of investigation and scrutiny.
OCE was founded in 2008. sA series of bribery scandals involving members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including Tom DeLay, John Doolittle, Duke Cunningham, Bob Ney, and Mark Foley, all of whom retired, resigned, or lost office after the scandals came to light.
and after that The rise and fall of lobbyist Jack AbramoffCommon Cause and other organizations helped found OCE after he was sent to prison for unprecedented corruption, including fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion.
This office was created by a bipartisan vote. Dozens of Republicans supportit also has the support of conservative groups like Judicial Watch. That's because without OCE, there would be no independent body accountable for power in the U.S. House of Representatives.
And since its inception, OCE has brought accountability to the House ethics process and has always done so in a fair and nonpartisan manner.
OCE has been investigating its existence for more than 15 years. About the same number of Republicans and Democrats. By summer 2023, OCE had investigated a total of 242 cases, of which 118 involved Democrats and 124 involved Republicans. up to now, Of these, 228 cases have been resolved. 104 were referred by OCE to the House Ethics Committee for further consideration. Of those referrals, 52 involved Republicans and 52 involved Democrats.
Before the OCE, members of Congress served as both judge and jury when considering ethics charges against their colleagues, but the process was far from “fair” or “neutral.”
And although it is an imperfect organization with no subpoena powers or enforcement powers if members refuse to cooperate, it serves an important oversight function that prevents members from collectively ignoring each other's ethics scandals. .
Indeed, this independent ethics organization has continued to thrive despite periodic attempts to cut funding, limit its activities, or abolish its office altogether. 2011, 2016, 2017, 2023. In each of these efforts, Common Cause led the opposition.
To prevent future efforts to weaken the Office of Congressional Ethics, Congress needs to make several reforms to the OCE. First, it should be codified into law and made permanent, rather than being reauthorized every two years in a House rules package.
Second, many Congressional offices respond to requests for information from the OCE, but the OCE has no enforcement powers, so putting a brake on it will help ensure compliance.
And third, removing it from the normal appropriations process (similar to funding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) would help insulate OCE from partisan politics, ensuring that OCE would continue to operate for another 15 years or more. It helps ensure that we can continue to accomplish our mission.
Federal agencies have inspectors general, states have independent ethics commissions, and Congress similarly continues to require OCE to serve as a strong independent ethics watchdog.
Concerned citizens who value ethics, responsibility, and the rule of law must continue to defend and defend the OCE to thwart its efforts to dismantle this important oversight agency. At the very least, the 119th Congress should keep the OCE as is. Any attempt to undermine this independent watchdog will be met with a strong backlash from Common Cause's 1.5 million members and many other concerned Americans who value ethics, responsibility, and the rule of law. You will be visited.
Virginia Kasse Solomon is the president and CEO of Common Cause.
