George Washington once said, “Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.” And while much has happened in the nearly 250 years since he made this sharp observation, human nature has remained the same. The headlines are endless and endlessly colorful. Bribes paid in gold bars and cash crammed into coat pockets.
Donor money spent on designer goods. Politicians trading stocks with insider information, using taxpayer dollars to line their own pockets. Corruption is a tale as old as time, but when investment funds built to copy stock trades of members of Congress consistently outperform the S&P 500, you know you’ve got a problem.
Washington needs to be held accountable. Self-dealing has become all too common, and as Americans stretch every dollar to afford groceries, gas, housing, and health care, career politicians in Washington have only gotten richer at our expense. That’s because for decades these very politicians have neglected to address the kitchen-table issues that matter most to Americans’ daily lives.
In the words of President Washington, they have sold the American people’s best interests away to the “highest bidder,” trading stocks, cozying up with special interest groups, and appropriating millions of federal dollars wherever their own personal financial interests lie. I ran for Congress to break the gridlock in Washington, D.C., and deliver real results for California families—and I did. When Congress took up the largest tax reform in years, I was the only Californian negotiating with Speaker Mike Johnson and President Donald Trump to increase the State and Local Tax (SALT) Deduction by 300 percent so hardworking families can keep more of their hard-earned money.
I’ve worked to lower health care costs, cut middle-class taxes, protect our seniors, and support small businesses across Southern California. Now, I’m fighting to hold Washington accountable, so we can keep getting things done for the American people. I’m supporting legislation like the Stop Insider Trading Act, which passed the House of Representatives in July, and the Restore Trust in Congress Act to ban members of Congress from trading individual stocks.
I recently cosponsored the Congressional Pension Accountability Act and End Government Pensions for Sexual Abusers Act to strip disgraced politicians of their taxpayer-funded pensions when they violate public trust. I also support term limits for members of Congress, because career politicians should not be camped out in D.C. for decades, sinking into the swamp, cashing in year over year, and forgetting who they represent. Unfortunately, there are as many ways for politicians to game the system as there are special interest groups on K Street.
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