Henry Waxman: “I will be blunt. Washington is mired in corruption. In this last year alone, the Vice President's Chief of Staff was…”

“I will be blunt. Washington is mired in corruption. In this last year alone, the Vice President's Chief of Staff was indicted for obstructing justice. Two of the former majority leaders top aides have pled guilty to bribery and conspiracy. And a senior Republican Member of Congress was convicted of accepting over $1 million in bribes from military contractors. Yet this so-called reform legislation, this incrementalism that we should accept, is a complete and utter sham. In my committee, the Committee on Government Reform, we worked hard to pass true reform legislation of the executive branch, and on a unanimous bipartisan vote of 32-0, we reported legislation that would have closed the revolving door between K Street and the Federal Government. Our bill would stop lobbyists like the former Deputy Interior Secretary from using a high-ranking government position to benefit energy industry clients. It would prohibit senior officials, like the former Medicare Director, from seeking jobs representing pharmaceutical companies while writing prescription drug legislation. Our legislation would have ended secret meetings between lobbyists and executive branch officials like those that produced the deeply flawed White House energy plan. And it would have promoted open government, banned covert propaganda, and given national security whistleblowers long overdue protection.…”