Americans have been ripped off, and not only do we want our money back, we want to know where it went in the first place! Millions of Americans across party lines are outraged that more than $17 million has secretly been paid out to silence sexual harassment accusers.
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) intends to show us the men behind the curtain and release the names of lawmakers who used this “hush fund.” Blackburn is the co-sponsor of the Congressional Accountability and Hush Fund Elimination Act, which would require full disclosure of the settlements within 30 days. Not only that, but it would mandate that taxpayers get that money back WITH INTEREST!
“Like most of my colleagues, I was completely disgusted to find out about this,” Blackburn said.
When claims are presented, she explained, the names are anonymous.
“Let’s bring the sunshine in,” Blackburn offered. “Let’s bring some transparency and accountability.”
“These have been personal bailouts,” she added. “Let’s end this.”
It’s a bipartisan effort, with Rep. Tulsi Gubbard (D-HI) one of the Democrats on board.In addition to unmasking the lawmakers who used the hush fund, the bipartisan bill will mandate that taxpayers get their money back – “with interest,” says Blackburn.
Lawmakers are introducing other pieces of legislation intended to combat a culture of sexual abuse on Capitol Hill. On Wednesday, Congress passed a bill requiring members to participate in anti-harassment training (via: Townhall).
Let’s face it. Our lawmakers receive ample compensation to run our country. Perhaps they should have paid for their own mistakes. Furthermore it stands to reason that erroneous harassment claims may have been filed because everything was kept quiet. Not satisfied with your job? File a harassment claim and wait for the check to roll in because politicians do not want to risk their reputation, and taxpayers are footing the bill anyway, right?
This is not to say that all the claims were baseless. Perhaps if the names are revealed We the People will be able to see what patterns emerge and make informed decisions about whom we want to vote for next election.
Do you think the names of those who used the hush fund should be revealed?
