ICYMI:
Pinal Central: O’Halleran wants travel limits, disclosure of Trump costs
GovExec: Lawmakers Look to Crack Down on Federal Employee Travel
Last week, I introduced a package of legislation directly aimed at reining in wasteful spending by lawmakers and increasing transparency in Washington. Arizonans want their government, regardless of political affiliation, to be held to the highest ethical standards.
Included in this ethics package are five bills:
- No Outbound Flights for Lawmakers If Government Halts To a Stop (NO FLIGHTS) Act: Prohibits the use of tax dollars for members of Congress to travel out of Washington during a government shutdown, forcing Congress to stay and work together to end it.
- Clean Legislating and Ethical Accountability Now (CLEAN) Act: Codifies the independent Office of Congressional Ethics, which is currently required to be renewed every two years through a Rules package. The CLEAN Act will remove partisan political attempts to gut the OCE behind closed doors.
- No Ongoing Perks Enrichment (NOPE) Act: Prohibit first-class flights for members of Congress and staff, freezes Congressional pay, withholds Congressional pay unless a budget is passed, and increases the lobbying ban for members of Congress and staff from two years to five years.
- Taxpayers Don’t Incur Meaningless Expenses (Taxpayers DIME) Act: Prohibits taxpayer money from being spent on government air travel that violates rules applied to senior federal officials, increases transparency and oversight of government travel, and calls for the independent Office of Government Ethics (OGE) to report on ways to strengthen existing rules.
- Protecting Defense Dollars Act: Directs the Department of Defense to provide quarterly reports to Congress that detail the direct and indirect costs to the Department in support of presidential travel, including any costs incurred for travel to properties owned or operated by the President or his immediate family.
The American people are best served by a government that is focused on the needs of our country, not politicians only seeking to enrich themselves. I am committed to holding every government official accountable and increasing transparency in Washington, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this important legislation.
Sincerely,
Tom O’Halleran
