Public Citizen

WASHINGTON, D.C. Aug. 7, 2017– The Trump administration’s proposal to roll back protections for nursing home residents who may be neglected or abused is cruel and heartless and should not go forward, Public Citizen said in comments (PDF) filed today with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The proposal is part of a […]

June 1, 2017 – Following a request from the U.S. government’s ethics agency, President Donald Trump late Wednesday released a list of staff members he exempted from restrictions on lobbying for issues related to their pre-administration work. For the Trump White House, even its own highly touted ethics rules are no more than an inconvenience […]

May 22, 2017 – The U.S. Supreme Court today affirmed a lower court decision upholding the ban on corporate contributions to the national political parties, known as “soft money.” Prior to the passage of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA, also known as McCain-Feingold), “soft money” was an end-run around the federal ban […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. May 16, 2017 –  Public Citizen is calling on Congress to pass the Sunset the CRA and Restore American Protections Act (SCRAP Act) of 2017, which would repeal the Congressional Review Act (CRA) of 1996 and allow federal agencies to restore the 14 public protections repealed through the CRA process this year. The […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. May 3, 2017 – Sixty-four percent of political spending disclosure shareholder resolutions at companies where mutual fund companies own more than five percent of common stock would have received majority support in 2016 had those mutual funds voted their shares in support of the resolutions, a new Public Citizen report shows. The report […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. Feb. 20, 2017 – A day-by-day review of the Trump administration’s first month shows that virtually every day has been marked by a new, extraordinary grant of power to corporate interests and/or another development in Donald Trump’s get-rich-quick-scheme known as the American presidency, a Public Citizen report shows. Trump started his first full […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. Feb. 8, 2017– Public Citizen, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Communications Workers of America sued the Trump administration today to block an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Jan. 30 that directs federal agencies to repeal two federal regulations for every new rule they issue. The plaintiffs are […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. Jan. 30, 2017 – Corporate interests that oppose public protections spent more than $1 billion to influence Congress – which is poised to repeal numerous recently finalized safeguards, a Public Citizen analysis (PDF) shows. The Republican majority in Congress is trying to strike down recently issued regulations by deploying the Congressional Review Act […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. Jan. 19, 2017– Major corporate donors to Donald Trump’s inauguration have federal contracts and want key policy changes from the government, raising the specter of pay-to-play politics, a Public Citizen analysis shows. All seven companies known to have contributed to the Trump inauguration have received millions – and in some cases, multibillions – […]

Jan. 13, 2017 – Note: On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the powerful House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter to Walter Shaub, director of the Office of Government Ethics, threatening an investigation. Below are statements from Public Citizen experts. From Craig Holman, government affairs lobbyist, Public Citizen: “Ethics […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. Jan. 6, 2016 – Media, activists, nonprofits, policymakers and others can now track the corporate ties of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks and other top political appointees at CorporateCabinet.org. Public Citizen today unveiled the website to expose corporate ties, corrupting influences and conflicts of interest in Trump’s Cabinet, which threatens to be more […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. November 29, 2016 – As a candidate, President-elect Donald Trump railed against the “rigged political establishment” and promised to “send the special interests packing.” But a new Public Citizen report finds that out of the 75 landing team members announced by the Trump transition organization, 70 percent (53 members) have some corporate affiliation […]