For the People Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. HARDER of California. Madam Chair, I thank Chair Lofgren for her leadership on this issue.

Madam Chair, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support my amendment to limit the influence of lobbyists on elected officials.

Here is a stat that blows me away. D.C. is home to 11,000 registered lobbyists. That is 25 lobbyists per Member of Congress.

During one of my first nights in D.C., I got invited to dinner with some of my freshman colleagues. I thought it was going to be a chance to talk about the issues that I hear from families in my community: the cost of healthcare, education, maybe jobs. But imagine my surprise when the only thing these lobbyists wanted to talk about was what would benefit their clients.

This happens in the city every day. Thousands of lobbyists here, in one city, creating an ecosystem of easy access where they can push their client's agenda in front of elected representatives.

My amendment is simple. It says that if you are a lobbyist and you reach out to a Member of Congress, you must make clear that you are a lobbyist, you must make clear who your clients are, and you better tell us who pays you. This is common sense.

Back home, I hear a common frustration that Washington doesn't listen. This problem is real and it has got to stop. My community has had enough with back-room deals. This amendment is one step in the right direction, and I urge this body to vote in favor.

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