On the recordMarch 10, 2020
it has been 1 year since the House of Representatives passed the most comprehensive package of anti- corruption reforms since Watergate--1 year. H.R. 1 shines a light on secret campaign contributions, makes it easier to vote, and cleans up corruption in Washington. It is the solution to the gridlock that the American people are tired of in our Nation's Capital. But for 1 year, H.R. 1 has gathered dust on Majority Leader McConnell's desk. Every single Senator in the Democratic Congress and in our caucus here in the Senate is cosponsoring the For the People Act, which is Senator Merkley's and my companion bill to H.R. 1, For the People Act, but it is buried deep in the leader's legislative graveyard. Over the course of the last year, as the For the People Act has languished, tens of millions of dollars were spent--much of it in secret--to influence the policymaking process. Almost half a dozen States passed new laws restricting voter rights. The U.S. Supreme Court gave the green light to political gerrymandering. And President Trump, visiting his own properties dozens of times, funneled millions of taxpayer dollars into his own pocket. Yet, the Republican Senate is silent--silent as our democracy faces a crisis like none we have ever seen in our lifetimes. We can draw a straight line from the crisis in our democracy to more than 300 bipartisan bills buried in the majority leader's graveyard.…
