Too many career politicians in Washington, D.C., are driven solely by getting re-elected, campaign cash, cable hits and clicks—not what’s in the best interest of their constituents.
It’s no wonder that only 20% of the American public trusts the government to do what’s right, according to the Pew Research Center. The current Congress’ routine government-shutdown fights are the clearest example of why we’ve lost that trust, and it’s proof that Washington is more broken than ever.
MAGA extremists have hijacked the Republican Party and are taking the entire government hostage. They want to ban abortion; cut programs that make housing more affordable or help small businesses grow; cut billions in funding for schools; and defund the Department of Justice and FBI. While the latest continuing resolution keeps the government open a bit longer, if these extremists don’t get their way, they’ll eventually shut down the government.
That might not sound so bad to those extremists in Washington, but a government shutdown hurts real people in our community. Our military service members, federal law-enforcement officers and Border Patrol agents may have to work without pay—possibly for weeks or even months. Small businesses could miss out on loan and grant programs that help them stay in business. Critical infrastructure projects could be halted, and even breweries might be unable to ship their products.
As a former counterterrorism and counterintelligence prosecutor who served both Republicans and Democrats, I know firsthand how hard our federal law-enforcement officers work. Forcing them to do their jobs without pay is added stress for them and their families and distracts from their job of keeping us safe. And the MAGA demands to defund the Department of Justice and FBI are just downright crazy.
We need to end the chaos and get members of Congress back to serving the public instead of serving themselves. Brinkmanship, last-second continuing resolutions and periodically entertaining the possibility of defaulting on our national debt are no way to run a country. Here are a few simple reforms both parties should support:
No budget. No pay. If Congress can’t pass a budget, take away their travel stipend to keep them working in Washington, D.C.—and take away their paychecks. If other federal employees, like our service members and Border Patrol, don’t get paid, the politicians shutting down the government shouldn’t, either.
Ban corporate PAC money. Last Congress, special interests gave more than $6 billion to candidates and members of Congress to influence policy so that Washington does what’s best for them, not for us. I’m refusing corporate PAC money in my campaign, because when I go to Washington, there won’t be any special interests lining my pockets—I’ll be there to fight for you.
Institute a lifetime ban on members from becoming lobbyists. Our elected officials in Washington shouldn’t be searching for the nearest exit to cash out and start lobbying their former colleagues. If members of Congress don’t see a revolving door waiting for them to lobby for the worst interests in Washington (i.e., big oil, big tech, etc.), they’ll focus more on the bottom line of the voters at home—and not their own.
Ban members of Congress from trading stock. No member of Congress should be allowed to enrich themselves through what’s supposed to be a public service. Yet we see it all the time; in recent years, nearly 200 members of Congress have been caught trading stocks, including stocks for companies affected by their legislation. That’s why members of Congress should, at a minimum, be forced to place their investments in a blind trust—so no one is questioning who they’re there to serve.
The bottom line is that if Americans are ever going to trust the government to do right by us again, we need to vote out corrupt representatives, usher in a new generation of leadership, and change the rules by which Congress operates.
Will Rollins is a former federal prosecutor and counterterrorism law attorney. A Southern California native and Palm Springs resident, he is the Democratic nominee in California’s 41st Congressional District against Ken Calvert.
GO WILL ROLLINS!!