Issue Position: Ethics

Issue Position

Issue Position: Ethics

Cleaning Up Congress

Working for Ethics and Lobbying Reform

I supported measures in Congress to tighten up our ethics and lobbying laws, but we still have work to do. We should further limit the influence of lobbyists and set stricter limits on the types of gifts or meals they can provide to Members of Congress and their staffs.

Greater Accountability for Members of Congress

As Attorney General, I prosecuted corrupt politicians, including even when they were in my own party, because it was the right thing to do. One thing they don't have in Washington, DC is an independent watchdog to crack down on corruption in Congress. This is needed to ensure that no individual Member of Congress is benefitting financially from his or her service in the Congress. Too often, investigations and allegations become mired in an atmosphere of partisan wrangling. I support an independent, non-partisan commission with the power to investigate charges of wrongdoing by members of Congress.

Pay As You Go

New Mexico's families have to budget responsibly. So should the United States Congress. Under the Bush Administration, our nation's budget went from a $5.6 trillion surplus to a $9 trillion deficit. We need to get back to fiscal discipline in the nation's capital or we will never get out of the economic mess George Bush and his Republican Congress have created. I support a "pay as you go" approach where any spending must be offset by savings elsewhere. This country can operate on a balanced budget - we did so under the Clinton administration and we must do so again.

Source