Last week, as their first legislative act, House Republicans voted to dismantle the Office of Congressional Ethics, trying to prevent the office from stamping out corruption and holding our leaders accountable. 

How much do you know about the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE)? 

 1. Common Cause was instrumental in the creation of the Office of Congressional Ethics. When was the Office of Congressional Ethics created?  

a. 1972 

b. 2008 

c. 2020 

d. 1989 

2. What does the Office of Congressional Ethics do? 

a. Creates new ethics and transparency laws 

b. Reviews allegations of misconduct by members of Congress  

c. Makes referrals to the House Ethics Committee 

d. Both B and C 

3. What major scandal led to the creation of the Office of Congressional Ethics? 

a. Jack Abramoff corruption  

b. “Keating Five” scandal  

c. Congressional insider trading 

d. Watergate 

e. None of the above
 

4. Who was primarily responsible for ethics enforcement in the House of Representatives before the Office of Congressional Ethics was established? 

a. Department of Justice  

b. Capitol Police 

c. The Supreme Court  

d. Members of Congress themselves
 

5. Who has the Office of Congressional Ethics investigated? 

a. Republicans 

b. Democrats  

c. Both A and B 

d. None of the above  

6. The Office of Congressional Ethics has called for more investigations for Democratic than Republican members of Congress.  

a. True 

b. False
 

7. Who currently faces calls for an ethics probe by the Office of Congressional Ethics? 

a. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy 

b. Congressman George Santos 

c. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez  

d. Republicans who defied January 6 Committee subpoenas 

e. All of the above  

8. What did disgraced Congressman George Santos call the gutting of the Office of Congressional Ethics? 

a. “Disturbing.” 

b. “Fantastic!” 

c. “That’s the way the cookie crumbles.” 

d. “It is what it is.” 

See how you did!  

Answers: 

1. B 
2. D 
3. A 
4. D 
5. C 
6. A 
7. E 
8. B 

Since its creation in 2008, the Office of Congressional Ethics has served as an independent watchdog providing nonpartisan oversight and accountability in the House.  

Common Cause is leading a group of 25 government accountability groups calling on Congress to make the Office of Congressional Ethics permanent.  

If you agree the Office of Congressional Ethics must be strengthened and made permanent, share these posts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and sign our petition.