Donna Shalala: “Last year, we learned that of the 59 EPA hires, roughly a third worked as registered lobbyists or lawyers for fossil…”

“Last year, we learned that of the 59 EPA hires, roughly a third worked as registered lobbyists or lawyers for fossil fuel producers, chemical manufacturers, or other corporate clients. Several of these EPA hires have gotten waivers, allowing them to participate in actions involving their former clients. This directly impacts my district. In my district, climate change and sea level rise aren't debated. These are not partisan issues because, for Miami, climate change is life or death. There are no climate deniers in south Florida. This is a real-life example of why these ethics waivers matter, and they matter to my constituents. I am very pleased that H.R. 1 mandates that the executive branch promptly disclose waivers of executive branch ethics rules to the Office of Government Ethics. My amendment will maximize transparency by highlighting who is now captured by the upgraded ethics waiver regime. We need to know who is now getting these waivers, why they are getting it, and what are the implications. We need to know the impact so that we can simply uphold our constitutional duty as Members of Congress and hold this administration accountable and hold future administrations accountable. Whether it impacts climate change policy, foreign policy, health policy, or any other issue, the American people deserve to know who is working behind closed doors in their government. Mr. Chair, I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I reserve the balance of my time.”