Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) yesterday afternoon
joined Senate and House Democrats on the steps of the United States Capitol to
unveil the newest plank of their bold economic agenda, A Better Deal for Our
Democracy, to fix Washington’s broken political system and return to a
government of, by and for the American people. The new plank of
Democrats’ A Better Deal agenda focuses on taking back the power from special
interests and getting rid of the pay-to-play culture of corruption, cronyism
and incompetence embodied by the Trump administration, which has led to
political dysfunction and a raw deal for the American people.
“Once upon a time, Donald Trump said he didn’t
want Koch money or anything else from them. It turns out the Kochs and
other self-interested billionaires have installed their corporate operatives
throughout the Trump administration. And when the special interests are
calling the shots, that can have profound implications for public health, the
environment and the economy,” said Whitehouse. “This is not
democracy. This is the corruption of democracy to benefit narrow special
interests at everyone else’s expense.”
The A Better Deal for Democracy proposal
would:
Empower American voters to ensure responsive
government,
Strengthen our nation’s ethics laws to fight
special interests; and
Fix our broken campaign finance system to
combat big money influence.
“President Trump famously campaigned on
‘draining the swamp’ but so far he has filled it up with pay-to-play schemes
inside and outside his administration. From Michael Cohen cashing in more
than a million dollars promising influence of the president, to Mick Mulvaney
admitting to donors that donations equal access, President Trump has made it
clear that draining the swamp is yet another broken promise,” said Senate
Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). “Democrats are proposing a better
deal for the American people – one that actually cleans up corruption and
loosens the vice-grip that special interests have over Washington Republicans
and the Trump administration by strengthening our nation’s ethics laws to
restore integrity to government service.”
Last month, Whitehouse and five Democratic
Senate colleagues sent letters to President Donald Trump and several cabinet officials asking
for documents that shed light on the Koch brothers’ sweeping infiltration of
the Trump administration and how the Kochs’ sophisticated network of front
groups and operatives have manipulated the American government.