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Today, Common Cause called on Congress to prioritize funding for key elements of our democracy in the next COVID-19 emergency supplemental appropriations bill (“CARES 2.0”). The letter urges every Member of Congress to designate sufficient funding in the stimulus package to secure essential pillars of our democracy threatened by the pandemic and to ensure proper safeguards are put into place to oversee government disbursement of trillions of dollars in stimulus funds. The elements highlighted in the letter include critical efforts to safeguard our elections, the Census, the U.S. Postal Service, access to broadband internet service, as well as local journalism and to fully staff and prioritize the CARES Act Congressional Oversight Commission.

Attorney General William Barr is a cancer on justice in this nation. Americans expect and deserve an Attorney General who enforces the law impartially, not one who abuses his office to accommodate the whims of a President who believes he has unlimited power. Barr has turned a proud and honorable Department of Justice (DOJ) into a political tool of a corrupt presidency. The unprecedented decision to drop the prosecution of Michael Flynn, despite his guilty plea, is yet another blatant abuse of the powers of his office to cover up the misdeeds and crimes of the Trump administration. Barr’s attempt at a Soviet-style whitewash of the Mueller report and other abuses of his office led Common Cause in December to call on Congress to impeach Attorney General Barr.

Yesterday, the Federal Communications Commission announced a $48 million civil penalty against Sinclair Broadcasting Group, the second largest media conglomerate in the nation. The fine is part of a consent decree closing three investigations including one where the FCC questioned whether Sinclair engaged in misrepresentation and a lack of candor in its attempt to acquire Tribune Media Company.

I am very sorry to announce that Ann McBride, who served in many capacities at Common Cause, including President, passed away on May 5. She was 75 and had been in declining health. Ann is an important part of Common Cause’s history and was a cherished mentor and role-model to me. Ann’s message was clear. Our victories were, she would often say, a message of hope for citizens – a reminder that working together, we all could make a difference in our government and our world.

Today, Common Cause filed complaints with the Department of Justice (DOJ), the U.S. House Committee on House Administration, and the Office of Congressional Ethics against Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and his landlord and donor Collier Merrill for their failure to disclose their longstanding relationship while seeking the required congressional approval of an office lease. The complaints urge an investigation into whether both men violated the criminal law prohibition on concealment of material facts in filings or statements to the federal government, and whether Rep. Gaetz is violating House gift rules by paying less than market value for his office rent.

In comments filed yesterday, Common Cause and New America’s Open Technology Institute (OTI) criticized the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for failing to protect public safety and low-income Americans’ access to the internet. The comments were filed in response to a federal court order that admonished the FCC for ignoring these critical issues when it repealed net neutrality rules in 2017. Common Cause and OTI called this failure a “dereliction of duty” and urged the agency to correct its past mistakes. The comments also highlighted the ways in which the FCC’s misguided repeal of net neutrality has undermined the agency’s ability to protect people during the COVID-19 pandemic and expand access to the Lifeline program.