Frank Lautenberg: “I am a cosponsor of the amendment which would prohibit Members of Congress from accepting gifts, travel from lobbyists…”

“I am a cosponsor of the amendment which would prohibit Members of Congress from accepting gifts, travel from lobbyists and others. Mr. President, if this past election proved anything it is that the American people want change. They want Congress to respond first and foremost to the needs of ordinary citizens, not special interests, not just the wealthy, not just the lobbyists. I introduced a piece of legislation, something so similar that this is indistinguishable from what I introduced at that time. It was in May of 1993. At that time, Mr. President, there were many of us here, many here on Capitol Hill that did not appreciate the depth of the public's anger. Today I think it is quite obvious that the message was loud and the message was clear. And I think that everybody today understands how the public feels. And it is time, way past time, as a matter of fact, to finally translate that anger into action. Mr. President, I do not believe, and few do, that Members of Congress are selling their votes for the price of a meal or a free trip to the Caribbean. But it is hard to believe that when a lobbyist takes a Senator to dinner that they are only buying a meal. What they are buying is access, and access is power. Ordinary citizens do not have that access.”