Posts Tagged ‘Congress’

December19

This week: Ramping up for Jan. 21, calling for a dangerous medical device to come off the market, more

By: Angela Bradbery

The holidays are almost upon us, but things here in Washington, D.C. are still buzzing. Congress is still in town, arguing about the payroll tax. Federal agencies are still doing their work.

And Public Citizen is still focusing on representing you – the public – in the halls of power.

Here’s what’s on tap this week (that we know about – things always crop up unexpectedly!):

We continue to ramp up for Jan. 21, the two-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling, which let corporations spend unlimited sums to influence elections. Sign up to host an event in your community on Jan. 21 and help build momentum to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. Or, join or host a house party!

Speaking of constitutional amendments, on Tuesday, the Oakland City Council is going to vote on whether to support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. We’ll be issuing a statement urging the Council to go forward.

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Posted in: Activism, Campaign Finance, Climate Change, Commercialism, Consumer Protection, Energy, Environment, Regulation, Texas, This Week0 comments

December8

Post-Cordray vote reminder: Obama can make a recess appointment

By: Angela Bradbery

As predicted, the Senate GOP today blocked the confirmation of Richard Cordray to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Republican lawmakers just don’t seem to understand how angry people are about how powerful Big Banks have run roughshod over them. You would think that lawmakers would be rushing to confirm Cordray so that the bureau could start to fully function – meaning that it could help stop the predatory practices of major institutions. Instead, the GOP would rather kill the new bureau altogether.

Here’s what Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, said after the vote:

In blocking confirmation of Richard Cordray – universally considered qualified for the job – to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Republican caucus in the Senate today sent a clear message: They stand with Wall Street donors rather than American consumers. Now In blocking confirmation of Richard Cordray – universally considered qualified for the job – to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Republican caucus in the Senate today sent a clear message: They stand with Wall Street donors rather than American consumers. Now it is time for President Barack Obama to end the needlessly drawn out process of installing a leader for the CFPB by making Cordray head of the agency through a recess appointment.

Perhaps you have heard that the Republicans can block a recess appointment simply by staying in session. Not so, says David Arkush, director of Public Citizen’s Congress Watch in this Huffington Post piece. He analyzed the Constitution and concluded that:

If the Senate wants to adjourn and the House won’t permit it, the President can adjourn both houses of Congress.

Mr. President? Ball’s in your court.

Posted in: Congress, Consumer Protection, Financial Reform0 comments

December2

Money and Democracy Update: FEC acts in public interest, sort of; debate rages over whether Gingrich was lobbyist; Hightower at house parties

By: Angela Bradbery

Stunning Statistics of the Week:

  • $3 billion: What might be spent on television campaign ads in the 2012 election cycle
  • $2.1 billion: What was spent on television campaign ads in the last presidential election cycle

Hightower to be featured at Dec. 15 organizing parties
Jim Hightower, national radio commentator, writer, public speaker and author who “has spent three decades battling the Powers That Be on behalf of the Powers That Ought To Be – consumers, working families, environmentalists, small businesses and just-plain-folks” – will be a guest speaker at Dec. 15 house parties designed to organize actions nationwide on Jan. 21! It is not too late to sign up to host one. The January actions will be part of a push to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling.

Wow, this doesn’t happen every day: FEC rules against a new PAC, for public interest
Well, well. This doesn’t happen every day. The Federal Election Commission this week denied a U.S. senator’s request to create a Super PAC. That’s right – the agency that has been hopelessly deadlocked on all controversial campaign finance questions came together to tell U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) that elected officials with their own political action committees must abide by contribution limits.

But here comes the disappointment …
The Federal Election Commission deadlocked on an important question: How closely can Super PACs and candidates work together without breaking rules designed to limit coordination between campaigns and outside groups? The commission couldn’t muster a majority to rule that a Super PAC’s plan to air ads it admitted would be “fully coordinated” with a candidate would violate the rule against coordinated campaign expenditures.

Government getting an earful over proposed gift restriction
The Office of Government Ethics is getting an earful from business groups about an Obama administration proposal to prohibit lobbyists from giving gifts to federal employees, including paying for conferences and trade shows. “A slap in the face” and “anti-business” are some of the invectives being hurled by trade groups. Public Citizen? We like the idea! “It’s a move in the right direction,” Craig Holman of Public Citizen told USA Today.

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Posted in: Campaign Finance, Congress, Money & Democracy Update, Uncategorized0 comments

November18

Money and Democracy Update: Reform efforts gain steam, $805,000 dropped on Huntsman, more

By: Angela Bradbery

Stunning Statistics of the Week:

  • Less than $1 million: Amount spent so far by Priorities USA, the Super PAC created by a former White House aide to support President Barack Obama’s re-election effort
  • More than $20 million: The amount spent by American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, groups co-created by Republican strategist Karl Rove to promote GOP candidates

Insider trading bill picks up steam as groups call for reform
Seven good government groups are calling on Congress to prohibit lawmakers and their staffs from using insider information to make money in the stock market. A bill to do that is finally picking up steam in the wake of a recent 60 Minutes expose. The bill has languished for years, but now, lawmakers are leaping to co-sponsor it. Craig Holman of Public Citizen told USA Today, “this is a story that really resonates with a public that’s already upset with Congress.”

More large companies disclose political spending policies, but spending is still increasing
More large companies are disclosing their policies on political spending, but that spending is still increasing, according to a new report commissioned by the IRRC Institute and conducted by the Sustainable Investments Institute. Last year, S&P 500 companies spend $1.1 billion on politics.

Rep. Deutch’s constitutional amendment draws praise
Public Citizen enthusiastically applauds and endorses a constitutional amendment proposed by Rep. Ted Deutch(D-Fla.). It would comprehensively repair the damage done to our democracy by Citizens United, end corporate spending on elections and give Congress authority to adopt a sensible campaign finance system.

$805,000 spent – in just one week – to boost Huntsman
Our Destiny PAC has spent $805,000 – just since Monday – to help GOP presidential contender Jon Huntsman Jr. The Super PAC was formed by an executive at the Huntsman Corp., which was founded by the candidate’s father. The goal of the expenditure – which paid for ads in New Hampshire – is to boost the longshot candidate’s chances.

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Posted in: Activism, Campaign Finance, Congress, Money & Democracy Update, Uncategorized0 comments

November17

New Paper by the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards Exposes the Dangers of the Regulatory Accountability Act

By: Rich Robinson

The Big Business attack on public safeguards will get a little more intense in the coming days, when the House votes on a couple of particularly treacherous deregulatory bills aimed at dumping a barrel of molasses into the rulemaking process.

In this space I’ve previously written about the REINS Act, the bill that would require congressional approval of all major rules within 70 days. This ludicrous provision (as if Congress can get anything done in 70 days) is designed to prevent any rules from seeing the light of day. The other blunt object being used against public protections is the Regulatory Accountability Act (RAA), a cynical attempt by the supporters of Big Business to cripple the federal regulatory process. Both of these odious measures will be up for votes in the House soon.

The RAA is deceptively presented as a “reform” to the rulemaking process, but don’t be fooled. The bill would add more delays to an already exhaustive process and set an even higher bar than currently exists for issuing needed protections. In effect, the RAA would hamstring all rulemaking agencies and squander their resources, placing the American people in harm’s way.

A clarion call is being issued by the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards (of which Public Citizen plays a leading role) with its new paper, Impacts of the Regulatory Accountability Act: Overturning 65 Years of Law and Leaving Americans Less Protected. It’s a thorough look into the bill and it reveals several examples of how it would affect the rulemaking process. The RAA would:

• Make the “least costly” rule the default choice, instead of promoting the public good
• Super-mandate cost-benefit analysis even when it would be misapplied
• Shift to “formal” rulemaking processes that thwart appropriate give and take
• Eliminate hybrid rulemaking that is often the best approach
• Allow judicial review of all agency judgments, undermining scientific findings

Agencies already have had some ridiculous experiences with some of these procedures and Big Business has effectively used them to throw a monkey wrench into a proposed rule it didn’t like. A classic example of this is the Food and Drug Administration’s “peanut butter” rule, which was developed several decades ago.

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Posted in: Congress, Consumer Protection, Energy, Environment, Financial Reform, Product Safety, Regulation, Uncategorized, Workplace Health & Safety27 comments

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