Republican Transparency Promises

Rep. John Boehner (R-OH)
"'National Journal: If you are speaker, will you ever bring a bill to the floor that hasn’t been true to the three-day rule? Boehner: No. NJ: That’s it, just 'no'? Boehner: Right. Can I see a scenario–like right after 9/11–when we’d have to act immediately in a true national emergency? I guess…. Maybe, but this is a serious commitment. I know it’s going to be a pain in the neck, but we’re going to do it.' (Oct. 26, 2010)" "One of the reasons why Americans have such little confidence in Congress is because of the practice of rushing massive, expensive bills to a vote without giving lawmakers or the American people time to read them," Boehner said. "This is the people's House: 'read the bill' should not be just an afterthought - it should be the first and only thought." (July 22, 2010 Congressman Culberson's News Blog) Introduced a "House GOP congressional transparency intiative" which includes the 72-hour rule, a measure to require committees to post bill text online within 24 hours of adoption, a measure to require the posting of committee votes online within 48 hours, and a measure allowing cameras in the House Rules Committee. (Nov. 19, 2009) "'Our goal is to have a smaller, less costly and more accountable government here in Washington, D.C. Our goal is not to shut down the government.' (Sept. 16, 2010 Federal News Service, accessed through Lexis Nexis)" "'Well, one of the first things we have to do is to -- is to adopt a set of rules for the House. ... And you'll see more openness, transparency, and accountability in the Congress -- more than we've ever seen in the history of our institution. And I'll make it clear that if we're serious about taking on the big problems that face our country, we've got to find a way to peel away the scar tissue between the two parties. ... We've got a find some way to work together to address the concerns of the American people, and we will.' (Sept. 8, 2010 John Boehner News Blog)" "'The American people, especially those affected by the bankruptcy proceedings, deserve to be a part of an open and transparent process. Yet one year later, neither GM nor the Automotive Task Force has provided a full explanation as to why some Delphi pension obligations will be met by GM while the salaried retirees are not made whole.' (July 13, 2010 John Boehner News Blog)" "'Tim, we, we raise political money to run campaigns. Democrats do it, and Republicans do it. When, when we put in the campaign finance laws, the Shays-Meehan bill a number of years ago, I voted against it because I thought it was nonsense. I think what we ought to do is we ought to have full disclosure, full disclosure of all of the money that we raise and how it is spent. And I think that sunlight is the best disinfectant. But there, there are a number of different ways that we go about raising those funds. Some of these are golf events, some of them are, are receptions, some of them are dinners.' Appearance on Meet the Press." "'Following documented gross inaccuracies and confusion associated with counting of job claims, we ask that the Administration cease public use of the inaccurate jobs 'created or saved' metric and instead focus efforts on lowering the unemployment rate as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics,' Leader Boehner and Ranking Member Issa wrote (Nov. 24, 2009 Committee on Oversight and Government Reform)" "Introduced a resolution that required “all taxpayer-funded earmarks to be publicly disclosed and subject to challenge on the House floor.” (Aug. 25, 2007)"
 * Support the Three-Day Rule
 * Support a smaller, more cost efficient, and more accountable government
 * Cooperate with Democrats to adopt new rules for the House
 * Increase transparency regarding bankruptcy proceedings and bailouts
 * Support full disclosure of campaign finances - where the money comes from and where it is spent
 * Support transparency in measuring stimulus bill results
 * Support public disclosure of earmarks

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA)
"'There is no question that earmarks – rightly or wrongly – have become the poster child for Washington’s wasteful spending binges,” Cantor wrote in a POLITICO op-ed Wednesday morning. “They have been linked to corruption and scandal, and serve as a fuel line for the culture of spending that has dominated Washington far too long.” (Oct. 13, 2010 Politico.com)" "'Health reform also should encourage transparency and timely access to care, realign payment to better reflect the cost of care, and include medical liability reform.' (April 28, 2009 AHA News)." "Called for transparency for negotiations over the health care bill. (Jan. 7, 2010)" "Urged President Obama to put entire contents of the stimulus bill online. (Jan. 18, 2009)" "House Republicans are setting up "a stimulus-watch program" that will allow watchdog groups and private citizens to report findings as contractors and agencies start spending billions of dollars on roads, schools, renewable energy projects and other initiatives" (Feb. 19, 2009 Associated Press). Pushed for Obama to put the text of the finished stimulus online for Americans to investigate (Feb. 6, 2009 Washington Independent). "'Any time we have moved in the direction that these bills like McCain-Feingold have taken us, what you've ended up accomplishing is taking away more transparency. Now you've got these outside organizations, 501c4s and 527s, that frankly are more opaque than transparent.' 'Anything that moves us back towards that notion of transparency and real-time reporting of donations and contributions I think would be a helpful move towards restoring confidence of voters.' (Reported in Newsweek)."
 * Support earmark moratorium
 * Support transparent health care negotiations
 * Support transparency regarding the stimulus bill
 * Support public reporting of campaign donations and contributions

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)
"'I watched in California campaign-finance reform and what's happened is...people now move money through central committees at the last minute so you don't get the transparency. It doesn't get [at] what the public thought was going to happen. The best way, the fairest way, is greater transparency. Let people understand where it is going and what's happening.' (Reported in Newsweek)."
 * Increase campaign finance transparency in an effective way

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)
"'Americans know that their government spends too much on a complex, unmanageable bureaucracy. What they don’t know – because much of the raw data about government spending and performance is not accessible to them – is exactly how much waste, fraud, and abuse goes on every day. That has to change.' (Oct. 26, 2010 Washington Examiner)" Issa says the Treasury's wrong numbers are the result of "blatant manipulation" that must be probed by "the S.E.C. and others."(Oct. 26, 2010 New York Times) "The White House can do its part by retaining all presidential records, like e-mails, social media posts and text or instant messages, including those sent by mobile devices. And staff members must be reminded of their record-keeping duties and held accountable for failure to follow clear guidelines." (Oct. 7, 2010 Politico) "I think what from my committee's standpoint we've learned over the last year is that transparency and real effectiveness of government requires not just a president who says he wants to have the most transparent government and who quite frankly has tried to lock a lot of lobbyists out of his administration, but it takes the vigorous oversight and the demanding of transparency by the committees. It's something that I think our committee has tried to do but, boy, we sure wish we've done a lot more of it sooner." (Feb. 3, 2010 Federal News Service, accessed through Lexis Nexis) "In regards to the House voting to repeal a provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act that kept the S.E.C. from having to comply with certain information requests, Issa says, 'By repealing this section, we have reaffirmed our commitment to ensure that the S.E.C. will be held to the highest possible standard of accountability and transparency.' (Sept. 24, 2010New York Times)" Issa "introduced H.R. 5924, the SEC Freedom of Information Restoration Act which will repeal section 9291 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that allows the SEC to notdisclose records or information that are typically subjects of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests." (Sept. 18, 2010 Sense on Cents) Issa says, "there is a legitimate reason to say that no one should ever be able to use the Securities and Exchange Commission to back door their way into information that would not otherwise be available through FOIA. That's a good point and a good starting point." (Sept. 16, 2010 Federal News Service) "Issa offered an amendment that 'would have blocked any firm in which the government owned 5 percent or more from hiring federal lobbyists unless the administration swore off any 'direct or indirect' influence over its operations. Issa said the plan was meant to keep companies from using taxpayer money to essentially lobby for more taxpayer money. 'If the government is calling the shots, you don't get to have registered lobbyists,' He said. 'The goal here is to have transparency.''(June 19, 2010 Chattanooga Times Free Press, written by Justin Hyde, accessed through Lexis Nexis)" "Regarding the Congressman Sestak incident, Issa says, 'This kind of activity is exactly what we try to prohibit in government, which is, the incumbent government using it's power to maintain it's position to save it's party money and to make it's party money, by using, basically, awards of government positions. May go on in Egypt, may go on in Russia. It doesn't and shouldn't go on in the U.S. without repercussions.' (June 3, 2010 Federal News Service Archive, accessed through Lexis Nexis)" "'Darrell Issa, the top Republican on the committee, said the automaker and the Department of Transportation will be held to higher standards in the future. 'Every automobile manufacturer should learn from this and err on the side of disclosure and transparency,' Issa said in a statement. 'Government regulators shouldn't need this kind of situation to reach critical mass before doing their jobs.'' (April 5, 2010 Politico)" "'Contrary to the president's oft-stated goal of transparency, the rank-and-file members of the Democratic Caucus and the entire Republican Conference have not had the opportunity to participate in the negotiations between the Democratic leadership, the White House and health care stakeholders. This is troubling to members of Congress who value transparency in government,' Issa wrote to the AMA, AFSCME, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Hospital Association and PhRMA (April 5, 2010 Politico)" "'The ultimate goal is full transparency and accountability,' Issa said in a statement. 'There are still a number of outstanding requests for information that the (New York Fed) has either refused or ignored.' (April 2, 2010 Phil's Stock World)" "'The American people have a right to know what the true value of the assets they now own are and if the people controlling those assets project any further losses that may result from the Federal Reserve's actions in bailing out Bear Stearns,' said Issa. 'Obstructing transparency may be standard operating procedure at the Federal Reserve but it denies the American people their right to know the full details about the assets purchased with their money.' (March 31, 2010 State News Service, accessed through Lexis Nexis)" "It's not conjecture, it's not speculation, it's fact, the New York Fed gave a back-door bailout to AIG's counterparties and then tried to cover it up," Issa said. "The veil of secrecy that swept through the Fed embraced a mentality that treated transparency as a dispensable luxury rather than a moral imperative." (Jan. 27, 2010 Congressional Documents and Papers) "'The American people are tired of out-of-control government spending, taxing, and borrowing. To earn back their trust, we need to immediately cut off the earmarks that have given Washington a bad name. Partial solutions are not enough. An immediate earmark moratorium is the only way to wipe the slate clean and allow us to start getting spending under control.' (March 11, 2010 Rep. Issa Press Release)" "'Following documented gross inaccuracies and confusion associated with counting of job claims, we ask that the Administration cease public use of the inaccurate jobs 'created or saved' metric and instead focus efforts on lowering the unemployment rate as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics,' Leader Boehner and Ranking Member Issa wrote (Nov. 24, 2009 Committee on Oversight and Government Reform)"
 * Cut down on government waste, fraud, and incorrect reporting
 * Hold the S.E.C. to the highest standard of accountability and transparency
 * Limit undue lobbyist influence over government
 * Limit abuses of government power by the majority party
 * Hold automakers and the Dept. of Transportation to higher regulatory and accountability standards
 * Support transparency in upper-level government negotiations
 * Enforce follow through on FOIA requests
 * Support increased transparency regarding bailouts and government assets
 * Support an earmark moratorium
 * Support increased transparency regarding the impact of the stimulus bill

Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA)
"Members have mulled such legislative responses as empowering shareholders to control how their corporations spend on elections, enacting a Congressional public finance system, barring foreign corporations from participating in elections, and strengthening disclaimer and disclosure rules. The latter proposal may also have some potential for bipartisan support, Lungren said. 'We need good disclosure, solid disclosure, timely disclosure,' he said. 'That's probably the answer more than inhibiting and prohibiting speech.'(Feb. 4 2009 Under the Influence)" "Rep. Lungren voted against the Fair Elections Now Act when it was passed out of the Committee on House Administration. In his opposition, Rep. Lungren stated that in addition to opposing this common sense legislation, he would like to get rid of campaign contribution limits entirely, giving those with unlimited wealth even more ability to buy elected officials." (Sept. 24, 2010 Public Campaign Action Fund) "As Lungrens sees it, the main problem with the system is that there are caps on direct donations to candidates. An individual cannot give more than $2,400 per election to a congressional candidate. Lungren would obliterate limits, permitting donations of unlimited size directly to candidates and political parties. That, he says, would limit the role of independent groups." (Oct. 21, 2010 by Dan Morain The Sacramento Bee) "You're going to have money flowing, and I would rather have the money flowing to the candidates," he said. "You'd still have a lot of money, but (donors) would be identified with the party and with the candidate." The only restrictions he'd want to impose are on large donations made within a week of an election, and he's called for speedier public disclosure of donations to candidates." (Oct. 28, 2010 DemocratUnity) "'With less than 24 hours to go, Democrats are withholding details of legislation that is of great consequence to the American electorate. If the Democrats genuinely want to work together in a bipartisan fashion and improve transparency, they should share a copy of the revised bill with the public and their colleagues on the Committee at least 48 hours before the markup.' (May 19, 2010 Rep. Lungren Press Release)""'Without any regard to the important responsibility of the Congress to uphold the Constitution, Democrats continue to broker backroom deals that inequitably grant free speech rights to some while denying others.' (June 17, 2010 Rep. Lungren Press Release)""“Their continued reluctance to release legislation in time to allow public scrutiny is a deceptive practice that completely undermines the Speaker’s promise to operate the ‘most honest, most open and most ethical Congress in history.’ Democrats should allow Congress and every American adequate time to fully understand the consequences of their legislative proposals before Members vote on them.” (June 23, 2010 Rep. Lungren Press Release)" "'It is my intention that by the pressure imposed by this one year moratorium, we will commit to reforming the process for the next Congress.' (March 11, 2010 Rep. Lungren Press Release)" "'House Republicans are offering the country a new set of policy solutions, but rather than handing an agenda down from the Washington DC, we want to include the American people in building it. We are committed to our principles of smaller, more accountable government. However, we believe that leadership requires the humility to listen to the American people and a recognition that any new agenda should start with them. So to show that the voices of the America people can still make a difference in Washington, we are introducing America Speaking Out and giving citizens a new opportunity to lend their ideas to the creation of a new national policy agenda.' (May 25, 2010 Rep. Lungren Press Release)"
 * Support campaign finance disclosures but push to abandon campaign contribution limits
 * Support transparent oversight of bills such as the DISCLOSE Act
 * Support Earmark Moratorium
 * Support efforts to increase public involvement and voice in setting the legislative agenda

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
"'I support campaign finance reform, but to me that means individual contributions, free speech and full disclosure. In other words, any individual can give whatever they want as long as it is disclosed every day on the Internet. Otherwise, you restrict free speech and favor super-rich candidates -- candidates with famous names, the media and special interest groups, all of whom can spend unlimited money.' Transcript of live conversation hosted by the Washington Post."
 * Support campaign finance reform

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC)
"'Special interest PAC money corrupts our political system because it allows special interest groups to control elections and our representatives,' read the 1998 platform. 'Jim DeMint will not take any PAC money and will fight for reforms that allow only individual contributions to campaigns.' (Reported in The Hill)."
 * Support campaign finance reforms to limit PAC campaign contributions

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)
"Co-sponsored Sen. Warner's bipartisan legislation to ' make government work better by requiring every federal agency to set clear performance goals that can be accurately measured and publicly reported to Congress and taxpayers was approved by a key Senate committee today.' (Sept. 29, 2010 Sen. Warner Press Release)" "Voted 'No' on the DISCLOSE Act (Sept. 23, 2010 Washington Independent) saying, 'Let me be clear. I support campaign finance reform. Americans have the right to know who is contributing to political campaigns. Throughout my time in the Senate, I have consistently worked for greater transparency in our campaign financing system. I cosponsored the bipartisan Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act, which was introduced by Senator Russ Feingold last year. This bill would require the Secretary of the Senate to forward a copy of any electronically filed designation, statement, or report to the Federal Election Commission within one working day, ensuring greater transparency.' (July 27, 2010 Sen. Collins Press Release)" "Cosponsored the Earmark Transparency Act of 2010. 'I am proud to be a co-sponsor of this bill, which will shine even more light on the process by creating a single, searchable database on earmarks,' said Senator Collins. 'Our government must function on the core principles of accountability, transparency and openness. This bill will help make that happen in a very tangible way.' (July 28, 2010 Sen. Collins Press Release)" "Supported the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act, saying, 'Today, with this important new law, we gave the American people more security in knowing that their hard-earned taxpayer dollars will be spent more wisely and prudently by reducing the risk of improper federal payments,' said Sen. Susan Collins. 'The law also increases the capacity to recover money that the government has misspent, a figure the White House says approached nearly $100 billion last fiscal year. Our new law strengthens reporting requirements for programs such as Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income that have been identified as vulnerable to improper payments, and it mandates the increased use of recovery audits. Additionally, any monies recovered during audits of entitlement and tax credit programs would be returned to those programs, helping ensure that program beneficiaries, such as Social Security recipients, receive their designated benefits.' (July 22, 2010 Rep. Titus Press Release)" "Along with Sen. Lieberman introduced a bipartisan health care reform amendment package to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that aims to enhance the quality of care, contain costs, and improve delivery system reforms, efficiency, and transparency. (Dec. 4, 2009 Sen. Lieberman Press Release)" "'I'm very concerned about the proliferation of czars in the Obama administration. I'm concerned because they undermine the system of checks and balances that we have in our Constitution. It takes away from transparency, accountability and the ability of Congress to exercise oversight. So what I've proposed is really quite straightforward. I've said that the czars who have policy roles should be available to testify at public hearings, upon reasonable request, and twice a year should provide the oversight committees of Congress with a summary of their activities.' (Nov. 4, 2009 Fox News Interview with Sen. Collins, accessed through Lexis Nexis)"
 * Support measures to increase ability to evaluate efficiency of federal agencies
 * Support campaign finance reform
 * Increase earmark transparency
 * Support transparent oversight of where taypayer dollars are being spent
 * Support transparency in health care reforms
 * Support oversight of czars

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

 * Discussion of his positions on campaign disclosure (Aug. 1, 2010)

RNC Chairman Michael Steele
"'Absolute--I--David, absolutely. I'm always--I'm--at the end of the day, I agree with--I am absolutely all for transparency. It's--I think it's an appropriate part of the system. It instills the trust that people have in the system, and it also avoids questions like this because that, that information is out there. And it's absolutely will avoid the, the allegations and the charges just thrown out there in the middle of a, of a, of a, of a discussion about health care and the economy. So I agree, the transparency should be there. But the law is what the law is right now. And if people are that bothered by it, then the Congress needs to change it.'"
 * Discussion of campaign finance disclosure rules on Meet the Press (Aug. 24, 2010)

Resources

 * "Pledge to America" (link). Highlights from Boehner's speech introducing the Pledge

1) Oversight responsibility should be the top priority of every committee 2) If Speaker, he will have the House return to normal order (ie, open rule on bills, minority rights like motions to recommit, etc.) 3) All legislative text should be online for at least 72 hours - wants to err on the side of more time (i.e., 5 days) 4) Rules Committee should broadcast/webcast all proceedings and post all transcripts online unless otherwise sensitive material that is requested to be private 5) Wants to break up votes on funding different agencies into different bills (i.e, break up 12 appropriations bills into separate votes) 6) Regarding absence of earmark policy in pledge: there is already an earmark moratorium on the GOP this Congress, but it will be up to the next Congress to decide whether there will be an overhaul/reform of the process or a full-on moratorium


 * "How The GOP Went From 48 To Zero In Support Of Donor Disclosure" (Huffington Post)