John Chafee: “today the Senate has come one step closer to restoring public confidence in Congress. Passage of what has come to be…”

“today the Senate has come one step closer to restoring public confidence in Congress. Passage of what has come to be called the gift ban bill will help to strengthen the credibility Congress has lost as a result of such matters as the improprieties that led to the closing of the House bank and the revelations about dubious fundraising activities that resulted from the Keating Five investigations. I do not believe that the votes of most Members of Congress are influenced by the meals and tokens that this bill seeks to eliminate. What I do believe is that a public perception exists that Congress places itself above other Americans. The perception also exists that some Members of Congress are unduly influenced by special interest lobbyists, rather than by those they represent. This erosion of the public trust threatens to undermine the effectiveness of the legislative branch. As we endeavor to make unprecedented changes in our Nation's health care policy that will affect virtually every American; as we work to rejuvenate our Nation's troubled schools; and as we take steps to reform the welfare system to best assist our Nation's poorest citizens, we must have the trust, confidence, and assistance of the American people. If restoring the gift rules will help to restore the public trust, then I am all for it.”