Frank Pallone: “absolute power corrupts, and over the last decade, the cozy relationships that have been created between House…”

“absolute power corrupts, and over the last decade, the cozy relationships that have been created between House Republicans and powerful corporate lobbyists have led to lobbyists controlling what happens here on the House floor. Earlier this year, the Republican majority rammed through weaker ethics rules to protect one of their leaders who has come under scrutiny because of his relationship with a lobbyist. Fortunately, the American people were not fooled by this stunt. They saw the new rules for what they were, nothing more than an attempt to protect a powerful Republican leader. Finally, after media and public outcry became too much for the Republican majority to endure, Republicans agreed to reinstate the old bipartisan ethics rules. However, Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that had the public been indifferent and had the Democrats on the Ethics Committee gone ahead and allowed the committee to organize under the weakened rules, today this House would be structured under ethics rules that would allow either side, Democrat or Republican, to shield its Members from scrutiny. Mr. Speaker, the Republican ethics reversal was good for this institution and good for the American public. I wanted to say, though, Mr. Speaker, that lobbyists still have too much power within the Republican majority here on Capitol Hill.…”