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Government Transparency

The mission of government matters; however, we can’t lead effectively if we don’t have the people’s trust. I believe Justice Brandeis said it best when he said, “Sunlight is the best of disinfectants.” To rebuild the people’s trust in our democracy, we need a government that does all it can to be transparent and provide the public with the tools they need to hold our government accountable.

As founder and chair of the bipartisan Congressional Transparency Caucus, I have worked hard to make the federal government more accessible and open to the public. My comprehensive transparency legislation, the Transparency in Government Act, includes reforms that will shine a light on every branch of the federal government, strengthening our democracy, and promoting an efficient, effective, and open government. In the 117th Congress, I was proud to see my legislation, the Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act, included in an annual spending bill and signed into law. In a similar vein, my bill, the Congressional Budget Justification Transparency Act, was signed into law on September 24, 2022. This bill will enhance transparency regarding how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars.

In recent years, public trust in our nation’s highest court has plummeted. In response to the myriad concerns, I have also introduced legislation to make our judicial branch more ethical and transparent. This Congress, I re-introduced the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act with Representative Johnson, which would require the United States Supreme Court to develop an ethics code for justices and strengthen recusal standards where judges and justices have conflicts of interest. 

By taking action now, we can restore Americans’ faith in government and prove to the public that we are worthy of the responsibility they have entrusted us with. Increasing transparency and accountability in government is not only the key to increasing public trust; it is the key to improving the government.