Mary Gay Scanlon: “Last week the House passed H.R. 1, the For the People Act, a sweeping voting rights and government reform package that…”

“Last week the House passed H.R. 1, the For the People Act, a sweeping voting rights and government reform package that returns the power of our democracy to the American people. Since this week is Sunshine Week, I want to focus on a particular part of H.R. 1 that is designed to shine some much-needed sunshine on the corrosive influence of dark money. Multiple sources reported this week that the President's 2017 inaugural fund received tens of thousands of dollars in contributions from shell companies to conceal illegal contributions from foreign donors. Think about that. Foreign agents lavished tens of thousands of dollars on the U.S. inaugural celebration so they could try to influence our President. That is why I introduced the Inaugural Fund Integrity Act, which is part of H.R. 1, to close loopholes in the existing regulations, to put an end to donations by foreign nationals and corporations, to ban personal use of inaugural funds, and to require disclosure of all donations and spending by inaugural committees. It is hard to think of an area more in need of sunshine than a shadowy slush fund rife with opportunities for government corruption. ____________________”