Indianz.Com > News > Sen. Lieberman Floor Statement on Lobbying Reforms

printer friendly version
Sen. Lieberman Floor Statement on Lobbying Reforms
Monday, December 19, 2005

The following is the text of a statement by Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Connecticut) on S.2128, a bill to reform lobbying practices. December 16, 2005.

Mr. President, I thank the Chair.

Mr. President, I came to the floor to thank my friend from Arizona not just for the legislation he has just introduced but for his characteristically courageous investigation of the events surrounding a particular lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, and the way in which they demonstrate the extent to which the system has gone out of control.

The direct victims here, of course, are those whose money was essentially taken without cause, who were cheated. But the indirect, yet very real, victims of these abuses are the Members of Congress, and the extent to which there has been abuse of a classic and very critical function of our Government--lobbying--the extent to which there has been abuse of that role breaks the public trust in Congress itself.

Disclosures, investigations such as Senator McCain and his committee have been involved in, fearlessly, are critically important, but these disclosures and revelations and abuses cry out to us now to take some legislative action. I have not had the opportunity yet to review fully the provisions of the legislation Senator McCain has introduced. I look forward to doing that over the recess. I hope that will put me in a position to join him as a sponsor of this legislation. It would be an honor and a privilege to work with him on this matter, as it has been to work on so many other matters.

For today, I did not want this moment to go by without thanking him for coming forward with this legislation. It makes the point we are due--perhaps, in fact, overdue--for a review of our lobbying and disclosure laws. They need strengthening, and they need strengthening because it is right to do so and it is necessary to do so to restore the public trust in our Government.

Mr. President, I am privileged to serve as the ranking member on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. In the normal course of the Senate rules, I believe this legislation would be referred to our committee, and there I look forward, along with the chairman, Senator Collins, to reviewing it. But in a personal sense, I want to work with Senator McCain and his staff and mine over the recess and hope that I can join him as a cosponsor of this legislation after the first of the year.

I thank my friend, Senator Durbin, for yielding me these few moments. I yield the floor.