Combating Corruption 

Bribes, kickbacks, pay-to-play schemes – New Yorkers have seen far too many corrupt politicians in our state. And then there’s Washington. David Buchwald has never had patience for those who violate the law and the public’s trust. As an Assemblyman, he wrote and passed the New York State constitutional amendment to strip taxpayer-funded pensions from corrupt public officials. When Donald Trump was elected, we saw an unethical demagogue take over the White House. Buchwald took action by sponsoring and passing the NY TRUST Act, which authorizes the sharing of top public officials’ New York State tax returns with Congress – including the President’s. In Congress, he’ll strengthen federal ethics laws, increase government transparency, and hold Trump and his enablers accountable.

David Buchwald’s corruption platform includes the following planks: 

  • Require Presidential candidates and Presidents to release their tax returns, something Buchwald’s NY TRUST Act helped address, but it won’t apply to future Presidents and candidates who don’t file New York State tax returns, so the next Congress is the time to pass a nationwide law.
  • Ban Members of Congress from owning individual stocks, a practice that Buchwald already follows to prevent conflicts of interests and an issue that has only grown more important following recent scandals like Senator Richard Burr’s (R-NC) alleged improper trading based on his advance knowledge of a pending coronavirus epidemic.
  • Pass a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, the Supreme Court decision that gave corporations free reign to mix money and politics. 
  • Place a lifetime ban on former Members of Congress becoming lobbyists after leaving office, helping reduce the corrosive flow of money and influence between Capitol Hill and K Street. 
  • Strengthen public record request laws to create a more transparent and accountable government, which builds on Buchwald’s repeated successes in improving New York State’s Freedom of Information Law. 
  • Pass House Democrats’ For The People Act (H.R. 1), a far-reaching package of much-needed reforms, from tackling corruption, expanding access to voting, and ending the practice of partisan gerrymandering. 

David Buchwald has continually worked to bring much-needed ethics and good government reforms to strengthen our democracy. Beyond his NY TRUST Act and pension forfeiture state constitutional amendment, he also has championed campaign finance reforms, including ending campaign contributions from government contractors and the successful effort to close New York’s LLC loophole that had allowed limited liability companies to essentially get around the State’s already lax campaign finance restrictions. His efforts to clean up Albany showed him firsthand just how desperately we need big reforms now to fight back against corruption. In Washington, he’ll keep up the fight and work to restore people’s faith in government.