Pass the ‘For the People Act’ to help restore Americans’ trust in their government
On Jan. 6, we saw a president incite violence against the nation’s Capitol in his abject refusal to accept a clear electoral defeat. It was a terrifying final act of norm-busting in a damaging and unbalanced presidency. Distrust in our government has never been greater, and with good reason.
According to the Pew Research Center, just 20 percent of U.S. adults say they trust Washington to “do the right thing.” With the current dual crises of a pandemic and a struggling economy, the Biden administration faces the herculean task of building back a government that people will believe in.
Reestablishing trust won’t be easy, but our clearest path toward a new and more-equitable democracy would be to pass the “For the People Act.”
This proposed legislation addresses long-term, systemic problems caused by corruption, too much money in politics and impediments to voting access. It would repair the damage caused by the disturbing behavior we’ve seen under President Trump and assist the process of rebuilding faith in our democracy.
Just days before chaos descended on the Capitol, the For the People Act was reintroduced in the new 117th Congress as House Resolution 1, or H.R. 1. This designation underscores its status as a top legislative priority and demonstrates House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s deep commitment to reforming campaign finance, ethics, voting systems and the rule of law.
This sweeping legislative package addresses key areas of reform essential to making government work more fairly and effectively for all Americans. It will end partisan gerrymandering and affirm the principle of one-person, onevote. It will provide sweeping campaign-finance reforms to end dark money and curb the influence of special interests and corporate influence in our elections. It will slow the revolving door between public service and the private sector, and rein in executive-branch ethics abuses. And it will strengthen oversight and enforcement of commonsense ethics laws and rules, among many other critical reforms.
In a loud voice in November, and again in Georgia on Jan. 5, the American people cast their ballots in support of candidates and officeholders committed to cleaning up Washington and holding the government accountable. In record numbers, they voted for Joe Biden — a president-elect committed to undoing the damage of the past four years. This includes the rampant corruption, and self-dealing that defined the destructive Trump administration.
Voters reaffirmed their commitment to change by delivering control of the Senate to Democrats in the two Georgia runoff elections.
H.R.1’s proposals are a powerful salve for what ails this nation, and what we just saw in Georgia was a clear call for this medicine. Now the American people need to see their politicians deliver. The House should pass H.R.1 quickly, and, with the new president leading the charge, the Senate should use every tool it has to do the same.
More than 800 elections experts surveyed by Harvard University in December recommended H.R.1 as part of a program of comprehensive reforms to “restore confidence in American elections.” Let’s all work together to get this bill on the new president’s desk as soon as possible.
Our democracy may depend on it.