Nine Solutions for Political Corruption

Nine Solutions for Political Corruption from the Brennan Center:

American public institutions urgently need repair and renewal. The 2024 election was the first time since the 1800s that the incumbent party lost the White House three times in a row. Public trust in government has plunged to historic lows. Citizens plainly feel left behind, economically unmoored, and dissatisfied with the government that serves them.

Crisis can bring innovation. As Lincoln urged, we must “think anew.” What will matter most is not what we are against but what we are for. 

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Our government has entered a new and dangerous era of corruption. This is a reason it so often fails to work, a cause of the collapse of public trust. Corruption will be a central public issue going forward. The response must be not apathy but action.

The danger today is different from at any other time in our history. In the 19th century, government was marked by self-dealing and graft. Later, in the 20th century, politics was marred by the systemic corruption of the campaign finance system. Reforms curbed those abuses. Now they have come roaring back, at the same time.

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In short, Americans face a fusion of public power and private wealth to a degree not seen in the past century, if ever.

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To address this crisis of confidence will require more than speeches or memes. Reform has often followed scandal — but not always. Change requires leaders to offer a compelling alternative to the status quo and then use the tools of power to enact solutions as big as the problems they seek to confront. Only then can the government begin to reclaim the public’s trust.

Outrage at Gilded Age corruption and crony capitalism sparked one of the most sustained periods of reform in our history, including the passage of new campaign finance and ethics laws, the creation of a professional civil service to end the “spoils system” for federal jobs, and two constitutional amendments to make government more accountable to the American people: the 17th Amendment, providing for the popular election of U.S. senators, and the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing American women the vote.

Another era of ambitious reform is long overdue. It should include the following solutions to combat corruption:

• Amend the Constitution to Restore Campaign Finance Limits
• Ban Big Donations from Government Contractors
• End Dark Money in Elections
• Publicly Fund Campaigns
• Overhaul Federal Ethics Laws
• Create a More Effective Ethics Watchdog
• Codify the Constitution’s Emoluments Clauses
• Take Away the President’s Power to Issue Corrupt Pardons
• Ban Congressional Stock Trading (and Raise Congressional Pay)