House Democrats are planning to open their majority with a statement about cleaning up politics. H.R. 1, the bill that will hold the title of the first in the new term, even if it’s a long fight and other things beat it to a final vote, will be focused on political reform, from voting rights to ethics for federal officials:
Elements of the legislation, according to a draft outline reviewed by The Washington Post, include new donor disclosure requirements for political organizations, a system to multiply small donations to political campaigns, mandating a new ethical code for the Supreme Court, ending most first-class travel for federal officeholders, and a broad effort to expand voting access and reduce partisan gerrymandering.
“First, let’s end the dominance of money in politics,” wrote Nancy Pelosi and Rep. John Sarbanes in a Washington Post op-ed on the plan. “Next, let’s make sure that when public servants get to Washington, they serve the public,” and “Finally, let’s make it easier, not harder, to vote.” These, they write, “are the reforms that will ultimately change the balance of power in Washington.”
The chances of Senate Republicans allowing this through are zero and the chances of Donald Trump signing it are significantly less. But this is a chance for Democrats to show what they do with majorities.