Udall, Heinrich Introduce CORE Act to Ensure Transparency in COVID-19 Response

Press Release

U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and John Sarbanes (D-Md.) to introduce the Coronavirus Oversight and Recovery Ethics (CORE) Act (S. 3855), legislation that would ensure stronger oversight, accountability, and transparency in the federal government's response to the COVID-19 crisis. The lawmakers are calling for the provisions of the CORE Act to be central to any future relief bill to ensure taxpayer dollars do not benefit interests of the wealthy or well-connected to the exclusion of the American people.

"New Mexicans deserve to know how their tax dollars are being spent by the Trump administration as workers, small business owners, and families across the U.S. fight to stay financially afloat amid the continued spread of COVID-19," said Udall. "I fought hard in Congress to pass emergency legislation that would provide an economic lifeline to American families and hardworking New Mexicans-- not to benefit the well-connected friends of this administration. Concerning reports of the Trump Department of Treasury doling out taxpayer dollars to the wealthy and large corporations makes it abundantly clear that Congress must pass the independent oversight provisions in the CORE Act to stop this government corruption and put the American people front and center for urgent relief."

"The Trump administration needs to stop treating the federal government like a marketplace to give handouts to their friends -- especially in the midst of the greatest public health crisis of our generation," said Heinrich. "The COVID-19 pandemic has placed so many across the state in financial jeopardy and we need oversight that ensures the administration is providing assistance to hardworking New Mexicans -- and not bailing out wealthy corporations. I am proud to introduce the CORE Act to limit the actions of corrupt offenders and will keep fighting to improve transparency on how the administration is delivering COVID-19 relief and aid."

Since unveiling draft legislation on May 12, 2020, wide support has grown for Congress to pass the CORE Act which now has endorsements from 57 organizations, 8 Senate original co-sponsors and 18 House co-sponsors.

The full bill text is available here. A two-page summary of the bill is available here. A letter of support signed by over 50 organizations led by Public Citizen is availablehere.

Joining Udall and Heinrich as original cosponsors of the CORE Act, authored by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) are Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).

Joining the bill as co-sponsors in the House of Representatives are Representatives Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Max Rose (D-N.Y.), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.), David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Susan Wild (D-Pa.), Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.), Stephen F. Lynch (D-Mass.), Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Katie Porter (D-Calif.), Josh Harder (D-Calif.), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), Kim Schrier, M.D. (D-Wash.), and Kathy Castor (D-Fla.).

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