A Weakened OCE, an Underfunded IRS, and Biden's Swing at Big Tech
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** CfA's January 13, 2023 Newsletter
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With your support, Campaign for Accountability is working to expose corruption and hold the powerful accountable.
** This Week's Updates:
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CfA Joins Effort Urging Congress to Protect Ethics Office
On Monday, House Republicans passed a rules package that defanged the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), leaving it without enough staff to perform investigations and hold lawmakers accountable. After signing onto a letter ([link removed]) with 24 other organizations that called on Congress to protect OCE, CfA released a statement of its own, which can be read here ([link removed]) .
CfA Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith said, “Any attempt to undermine the effectiveness of the Office of Congressional Ethics is a mistake. The Office of Congressional Ethics was created in response to significant ethics scandals, including the Jack Abramoff scandal, which was one of the greatest Congressional ethics scandals in history. The House Ethics Committee did exactly nothing. It was in the wake of this scandal that the Office of Congressional Ethics was created. We do not want to return to that time. The Office of Congressional Ethics has been effective, which is why members of both parties don’t like it.”
IRS Funding Clawback Threatens to Grow Deficit, Limit Enforcement
As their first piece of legislation for the 118th Congress, House Republicans passed a bill that would sharply limit IRS funding, attempting to roll back an $80 billion increase that came with the Inflation Reduction Act. CfA has previously advocated ([link removed]) for a well-funded IRS, after a long period of underinvestment left the agency without the tools and personnel it needed to audit potential tax cheats. That lack of enforcement adds billions to the deficit, so protecting IRS funding increases would be the fiscally responsible move.
President Biden Fires a Warning Shot at Big Tech
On Wednesday, President Biden penned an op-ed ([link removed]) calling on Congress to pass legislation that holds big tech companies accountable for the harms they've caused Americans. The President outlined a three-pronged approach to regulation that addresses user privacy, algorithm safety, and the anticompetitive behaviors employed by tech companies. CfA's Tech Transparency Project has spent years calling attention to these issues, from apps which endanger children ([link removed]) to social media platforms that foster white supremacist organizations ([link removed]) . As Big Tech's disregard for public safety becomes increasingly clear, it's encouraging to see the administration emphasize accountability.
** What We're Reading:
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* ‘Lords of war’: DOJ lays out case that Proud Boys leaders led Capitol breach ([link removed])
According to DOJ prosecutors, a small group of Proud Boys members acted strategically during January 6th, leading rioters deeper into the Capitol in an attempt to violently stop the transfer of presidential power. Now, their seditious conspiracy trial is underway.
* Lawmakers are readying fresh attacks on pharmacy middlemen ([link removed])
Amid an ongoing FTC inquiry into pharmacy benefit managers (PBMS), lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have announced their concerns with these prescription drug middlemen, which have been blamed for raising patient costs. A House Oversight and Accountability hearing is allegedly in the works.
** Follow Our Work:
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We thank you for your continued support. Without people like you, our work would not be possible.
Here is how you can stay involved and help us accomplish our mission:
1. Follow CfA on Twitter ([link removed]) .
2. Follow the Tech Transparency Project on Twitter ([link removed]) .
3. Tell your friends and colleagues ([link removed]) about CfA.
4. Send us a tip ([link removed]) .
5. Make a tax-deductible donation ([link removed]) .
Be on the lookout for more updates about our work in the upcoming weeks. Thanks again for signing up to be a part of CfA!
Sincerely,
Michelle Kuppersmith
Executive Director, Campaign for Accountability
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