Washington — Following the reintroduction by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Representative John Sarbanes of the For the People Act as the first piece of House legislation in the 117th Congress, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) Executive Director Noah Bookbinder released the following statement:

“The reintroduction of the For the People Act represents a continuing commitment to a critical priority for Congress: reshaping our democracy so it can live up to our highest aspirations. This imperative is not merely a reaction to the corruption crisis of the last four years; it is the product of a decades-long corrosion of the guardrails of our democracy, and also of the systematic exclusion of many voices that has plagued our system since its founding. Reducing the negative influence of money in politics, addressing the ethics crisis, as well as protecting elections and the rights of voters are all necessary components of this project, the most important one any Congress can tackle.

The For the People Act is a tremendous step in the right direction, and if passed would be transformative. We look forward to working with Congress as it considers this and other legislation to reimagine our democracy, to establish new expectations for public officials, and to remake the institutions that preserve government by the people and for the people.”

CREW is part of the Declaration for American Democracy coalition, a nonpartisan collaboration of more than one hundred and seventy local, state and national organizations committed to delivering the bold reforms to our democracy that the public is demanding. You can learn more about the Declaration for American Democracy here.