Washington, D.C. is broken, and Americans are increasingly frustrated—by what we see as well as by what we don’t see. Congress has become increasingly polarized. Putting partisanship ahead of principle has become the norm. Problem-solving is nearly impossible, and “compromise” has become a dirty word. We must restore public faith in the government’s ability to solve our nation’s problems. That begins by rejecting blind partisanship and reducing the influence of special interest groups. I am running to restore integrity to our political process and public confidence in our elected representatives.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
We must begin by restoring the people’s faith in our electoral process and the campaign finance laws that govern them. In its disastrous ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, the Supreme Court declared that our elections are for sale to the highest bidder. When one-quarter of one percent (0.0025) of our citizens provide over two-thirds of the funding for our political campaigns, it is impossible to pretend that everyone has an equal voice. In Congress, I will work to pass campaign finance reform that returns our electoral process to ordinary people and reduces the undue influence of the financial and political elite who currently fund political campaigns in both parties.
GERRYMANDERING
Creating fair districts for voters ensures that the interests of all people are represented in government. However, this commitment has been undermined by “gerrymandering,” which puts the interests of political parties above the people. This must stop. While redistricting is primarily a state issue, I will lend my voice to the call for fair districts in Pennsylvania and across the nation.
EXECUTIVE BRANCH ACCOUNTABILITY
In their wisdom, our Founding Fathers created a government with three equal branches. It was never their intent that governing would be achieved by executive branch fiat. Yet in the last fifteen months—solely by executive order—the U.S. has withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Paris Climate Accords, and UNESCO. The President has threatened to withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement and NAFTA, alienated moderate Arab allies, and suggested that we may not support our NATO allies. These actions by the President have given people all over the world good reason to question our global leadership; have compromised our trustworthiness as a negotiating partner; and have made the U.S. and the world less safe. And Congress has failed to act in response.
Under the Trump administration, the EPA has rescinded dozens of regulations intended to protect the quality of our air and water. The Department of Education has rolled back protections for victims of on-campus sexual assault, victims of for-profit diploma mill schemes, and transgender students. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has rolled back regulations on predatory “payday lenders” and transformed the agency’s mission from protecting consumers to protecting financial institutions. In all of this, Congress has sat by idly, relinquishing its responsibility to provide checks and balances to the executive branch.
Rather than relying on some future administration to try to undo the damage with executive orders of its own, Congress must act now to pass legislation that restores the protections that have been stripped away by the current administration.