Media Center

Today, Common Cause called on Congress to provide funding to safeguard key elements of our democracy in the next COVID-19 emergency supplemental funding bill. The letter urges every Member of Congress to provide significant funding in the stimulus package to backstop vital elements of our democracy and to ensure proper safeguards are put into place to oversee government disbursement of trillions of dollars in stimulus funds. In the face of the pandemic, Common Cause calls for funding 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.

Today, Common Cause called on Congress to hold emergency hearings to examine why Wisconsin voters were forced to risk their lives by standing in lines at polling places on April 7th during the COVID-19 pandemic when public gatherings were prohibited in the state. The letter to the Senate Rules and Administration Committee and the Committee on House Administration also urged the committees to explore how other states are adjusting their elections to ensure that all voters can be counted during the current pandemic in both the primaries and the general election. The letter also emphasizes the need for Congress to provide additional election funding to states in its next stimulus bill to help ensure every American is able to cast their ballot in a safe and secure manner.

(Washington, DC) –Today, a coalition of nearly 50 organizations and media scholars joined Common Cause, PEN America, and Free Press in a letter calling on Congress to include vital funding for local news in the next stimulus package proposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter explains that House and Senate leadership should consider local press an industry vital to the nation’s health, prosperity, and recovery.

We deserve a government accountable and transparent to the people, but President Trump is once again acting as if he is above the law. Trump’s decision to remove Glenn Fine, the leader of an independent panel of inspectors general providing oversight of the coronavirus relief stimulus, is a corrupt power grab. Without strong oversight,  the public will not have the confidence that their hard-earned money actually serves the public over special interests. 

“Americans expect and deserve accountability for the $2 trillion Coronavirus emergency spending bill, and Congressional oversight of this Administration’s handling of the funds is absolutely critical,” said Common Cause president Karen Hobert Flynn. “This attempt by President Trump to bypass oversight is nothing more than a corrupt power grab by an Administration known for bending over backwards to shower rewards on its political supporters. Congress must fight this move vigorously and hold President Trump accountable to the American people. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin negotiated the stimulus package with Congress and signed off on the oversight provisions in the legislation. This after-the-fact change of heart is a last-ditch effort by President Trump to get his hand in the till of a package passed to address a grave national health emergency.”

“The Trump campaign’s threat to revoke television station licenses for airing advertisements critical of the President’s actions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic raises serious concerns that the President is potentially abusing his power to intimidate and retaliate against political opponents. The FCC has no authority to revoke broadcast licenses for airing political advertisements critical of the President’s actions. More importantly, the President cannot direct the FCC, an independent agency, to take this action."