Restoring Trust in Government

It didn't take me long once I got to Congress to see just how broken Washington truly is and why trust in our government is at an all-time low. Too many politicians are more interested in gaming the system for their own advantage than actually solving problems. That’s why I’m proud to unveil the first pillar in my Blueprint for a Better America, Restoring Trust in Government. This package of government reform legislation will ensure that elected officials work for the people instead of exploiting our system of government.

The Make It Count Act (H.R. 7167): 
State legislatures across our nation are currently in the middle of a historic redistricting battle between both parties, and all Americans are losing. Our last national census was in 2020, so there aren’t any official population changes that require new districts. That’s why I introduced the Make It Count Act to limit congressional redistricting to once every 10 years — after each census — prohibiting state officials from redrawing congressional districts for partisan advantage in the middle of the decade. The bill would also require that only U.S. citizens are counted toward redistricting and electoral votes.

The Supermajority Statehood Amendment (H.J.Res. 141):
Adding a new state to our union shouldn’t be a tool for changing the math in the Senate or Electoral College for political gain. This is why I introduced a constitutional amendment that would require a two-thirds supermajority vote in both chambers of Congress to create a new state. Currently, the Constitution only requires a simple majority to add states to the union.

The Keep the Nine Amendment (H.J.Res. 28):
The Supreme Court has had nine justices for more than 150 years, despite some politicians’ calls to pack the court to achieve partisan rulings. For this reason, I co-sponsored a constitutional amendment that would permanently set the U.S. Supreme Court at nine justices. This is a critical step to protect the independence of our nation’s highest court.

The Unauthorized Spending Accountability (USA) Act (H.R. 143):
Federal spending has grown out of control. Some spending goes to programs that were never clearly authorized by Congress — or to programs that expired years ago. In a recent report, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found 1,264 authorizations that expired but were still receiving funding. That equates to more than $500 billion of taxpayer funds spent with no real accountability or guidelines by the people’s representatives. It’s time we return the power of the purse to Congress and bring real accountability to runaway federal programs. This is why I’m co-sponsoring legislation to automatically phase out any federal spending on programs that aren’t explicitly authorized by Congress.

These reforms put an end to partisan political theater and return power to the people. These bills are a step toward restoring the trust that's been broken over decades of empty promises and self-serving politics, but there's more work to be done. To follow along as I continue unveiling my Blueprint for a Better America, or to submit your own ideas for government reform, click here.