"House Ethics reverses decades of precedent as lobbyist-sponsored lawmaker travel expands."
There's your National Journal article headline and subhead for a piece reported yesterday by Shane Goldmacher.
It's going to be a little more difficult to ferret out which members of Congress are lavished with all-expenses-paid trips around the world after the House has quietly stripped away the requirement that such privately sponsored travel be included on lawmakers' annual financial-disclosure forms.
The move, made behind closed doors and without a public announcement by the House Ethics Committee, reverses more than three decades of precedent. Gifts of free travel to lawmakers have appeared on the yearly financial form dating back its creation in the late 1970s, after the Watergate scandal. National Journal uncovered the deleted disclosure requirement when analyzing the most recent batch of yearly filings.
I encourage you to read the entire article, which includes quotes from ethics watchdog groups such as:
"This is such an obvious effort to avoid accountability," said Melanie Sloan, executive director of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "There's no legitimate reason. There's no good reason for it."
...snip...
"The more you can hide, the less accountable you can be," Sloan said of lawmakers. "It's clear these forms are useful for reporters and watchdogs, and obviously a little too useful."
Probably least shocking of all is this bit:
House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Conaway, R-Texas, did not return a call for comment; ranking member Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., referred questions to committee staff. The committee declined to comment.
So, here's who you can call or write to "thank" for this courageous stand against transparency:
Republicans
K. Michael Conaway, Texas - Chairman
Charles W. Dent, Pennsylvania
Patrick Meehan, Pennsylvania
Trey Gowdy, South Carolina
Susan W. Brooks, Indiana
Democrats
Linda T. Sánchez, California - Ranking Member
Pedro R. Pierluisi, Puerto Rico
Michael E. Capuano, Massachusetts
Yvette D. Clarke, New York
Ted Deutch, Florida
1015 Longworth House Office Building (LHOB)
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Phone: 202-225-7103
Fax: 202-225-7392
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