Shake Up the Senate

Our new TV ad, explained.

Big news on the campaign front, we’re live on TV!

It’s always challenging to get a campaign’s entire message into a 30 second ad. So today, I’m going beyond the ad and breaking down my actual plan to shake up the Senate:

1. Ban Federal Lobbyist Contributions: For every industry and company who makes your life more difficult, price gouges you, or stands in the way of real progress—you can bet they have an army of lobbyists to do their bidding. Total federal lobbying spending surpassed $4 billion in 2022 alone, the highest annual spend we’ve seen since 2010, adjusted for inflation. Right now I’m one of just 11 (out of 435) Members of the House who reject federal lobbyist money.

2. Ban Corporate PAC Donations: Throughout the 2022 election cycle, business PACs made $341.3 million in federal contributions—five times more what labor PACs (like those run by the Teamsters) gave. Whether it’s about tax policy or the transition to clean energy, it’s no surprise that politicians side with corporations time and time again. We have to fundamentally change our campaign finance system.

3. Eliminate Pet-project Funding for Politicians, also known as Earmarks: Earmarks are a way of politicians directly giving funding to a certain project or entity. They were banned under President Obama because they consistently lead to waste and fraud. Earmarks also tend to benefit whiter, wealthier, more conservative areas rather than communities that could most benefit from federal funding. When Congress brought back earmarks in 2021, I was the only Democrat to oppose them. 

4. Ban Congressional Stocks Trading: Right now, loopholes allow Members of Congress to trade stock based on information we learn in private briefings. I’ve already introduced the STOCK ACT 2.0, which would create an enforceable and effective ban on these trades for both Members and their spouses. A 2022 New York Times analysis found that nearly a fifth of Congresspeople report a stock trade that revealed a potential conflict of interest.

5. Abolish the Filibuster and Ban Singular Holds on Nominations: The filibuster stands in the way of so many real reforms—including codifying the right to an abortion. And we should change the rules so that a single Senator doesn’t have the power to hold up important military promotions for political gain, the way Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville did last year.

6. Increase Transparency: I publicly release a list of every single official meeting I take. Every Congressperson should do the same. I’m also fighting for more transparency of when, where, and why top government officials—including members of the House and Senate—travel on the taxpayers’ dime.

The first step to enacting this plan is getting elected to the U.S. Senate. Right now, we’re in the final stretch of the primary campaign, so I do have an ask for you: Can you share this Substack? So many people will choose who they vote for in this race based on what ads or posts come across their screen. 

We’re also short on the money we need to really ramp up this ad across the state. So if you can spare a few bucks, I’d be so appreciative of anything you can chip in.

Many thanks for reading, and for your support!

Katie

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