[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 31, Number 40 (Monday, October 9, 1995)]
[Pages 1755-1756]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on House Inaction on Political Reform

October 2, 1995

    The American people have made it clear that they want political 
reform. It is plain that lobbyists have too much influence in the Halls 
of power and that reforms are needed to change the way we finance 
campaigns. I believe that a bipartisan consensus exists to enact reform. 
By an overwhelming margin, the Senate passed legislation that would 
require lobbyists to fully disclose their activities and that ended the 
practice of lobbyists giving lawmakers expensive gifts, meals, and 
travel.
    However, this past weekend, in an abrupt reversal of a previous 
commitment, the House Republican leadership announced

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that it would refuse to schedule a vote on lobby reform this year. This 
may please Washington's professional lobbyists, but it will only deepen 
the American people's cynicism about the way Government works. There can 
be no excuse for delay.
    This is the starkest indication yet that the new congressional 
majority simply is not serious about political reform. But it is not the 
first such indication. It is now nearly 4 months since Speaker Gingrich 
and I agreed to create a bipartisan commission on political reform. I 
have sought in good faith to move forward on this proposal. I asked two 
distinguished Americans, John Gardner and Doris Kearns Goodwin, to reach 
out to the congressional leadership to make this commission a reality. 
Mr. Gardner made repeated attempts to contact the Speaker, but the 
Speaker did not even show him the courtesy of a direct reply. In light 
of this extraordinary unresponsiveness, Mr. Gardner has indicated that 
he does not believe the commission has any chance of success.
    We must move forward with rapid action on reform that is bipartisan 
and real. Congress should quickly enact lobby reform, gift reform, and 
campaign finance reform legislation. In the meantime, I am not waiting. 
In my first days in office, I barred senior officials from lobbying 
their agencies for 5 years after leaving office and from ever lobbying 
for foreign governments. We repealed the tax loophole that let lobbyists 
deduct their expenses. We have fought for tough lobby reform and 
campaign reform legislation. And now, my administration is moving 
forward with an Executive order that will require lobbyists who contact 
the executive branch to fully disclose their activities.