Under a new bill, former members of Congress and presidential administrations would have to wait longer before they can turn around and lobby their former colleagues.
Mr. Gallagher’s bill would also prevent lawmakers from recessing until they reach a concurrent resolution on a balanced budget for a given fiscal year. The bill would also eliminate a taxpayer-funded pension program for members of Congress.
Former lawmakers and executive branch employees can be highly effective lobbyists because they already have rapport and contact information for many of the people they’re trying to influence, including their former coworkers.
OpenSecrets has documented more than 400 instances of former senators and House members either registering as lobbyists or performing similar functions as advisors.
Mr. Gallagher credited Republicans, who took control of the House earlier this year, with other measures to increase accountability, such as ending the COVID-19-era practice of allowing lawmakers to vote remotely.
“House Republicans have pushed back against the swamp by ending proxy voting and restoring accountability in Washington, and it’s time to build on this effort by changing the incentive structure for people serving at the highest levels of government,“ he told the Daily Caller. ”By ending taxpayer-funded pensions for members of Congress and imposing strict lobbying requirements on members of Congress and high-ranking government officials, these bills bring us one step closer to ensuring people in Washington are here to serve the American people, not the swamp.”
NTD News reached out to Mr. Gallagher’s office for further comment but did not receive a response by the time this article was published.
“It is critical that the American people know that their elected leaders are putting the public first—not looking for ways to line their own pockets,” said Ms. Gillibrand.
“Politicians and civil servants shouldn’t spend their time day-trading and trying to make a profit at the expense of the American public, but that’s exactly what so many are doing,” Mr. Hawley added.