Press Releases

Leading Grassroots Advocacy Organizations Endorse House Democrats’ Once-In-A-Generation Reform Package

H.R. 1, the For the People Act, Earns Support of Diverse Array of Organizations Dedicated to Good Government, Environmental Conservation, Civil Rights Advancement and Working Families
Jan 9, 2019

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Democracy Reform Task Force Chair Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today announced that a diverse array of leading grassroots advocacy organizations – including those dedicated to good government, environmental conservation, civil rights and working families – have formally endorsed H.R. 1, the For the People Act.

Sarbanes, House Democrats Introduce Once-In-A-Generation Package of Democracy Reforms

H.R. 1, the For the People Act, Will Clean Up Corruption in Washington, Make It Easier to Vote, and Give Hardworking Americans More Power in Our Democracy
Jan 4, 2019
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Democracy Reform Task Force Chair Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) today led the new House Democratic majority in unveiling H.R. 1, the For the People Act, a sweeping package of reforms that will drastically alter the balance of power in Washington and make government work for the people.

Sarbanes Statement on Attorney General Sessions Resignation

Nov 7, 2018
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Democracy Reform Task Force Chair Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) released the following statement today after President Donald Trump requested the resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Democracy Reform Task Force Finds 600 Examples of Trump Corruption, Conflicts and Ethical Abuses

New Report Lists the Ways President Trump and His Administration Have Unleashed an Unprecedented Culture of Corruption in Washington
Sep 18, 2018
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Democracy Reform Task Force Chair Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today led House Democrats in releasing a new report that found 600 instances of corruption, conflicts of interest and ethical abuses in the Trump Administration.

Sarbanes Urges Congressional Leaders to Study and Improve the Way Congress Works [Video]

Sep 14, 2018
WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a House Rules Committee hearing yesterday, Democracy Reform Task Force Chair Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) called on Congressional leaders to convene a bipartisan Select Committee to study Congressional dysfunction and find ways to improve Congressional capacity so that Congress works better for the American people.

Sarbanes Delivers Opening Remarks as Hoyer Commits to Bold Anti-Corruption Reforms If Democrats Take Back House [Video]

Sep 12, 2018
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Democracy Reform Task Force Chair Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today delivered opening remarks ahead of a keynote address by House Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), who said that Democrats would pass a comprehensive suite of democracy reforms if they win back the Majority in the House this November.

Sarbanes Slams House Republicans’ Sham Hearing [Video]

Sep 5, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a partisan House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing convened by House Republicans today, Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) slammed the Republican Majority for wasting taxpayer resources on political charades, rather than pursuing serious inquiries and investigations on behalf of the American people.

Sarbanes Statement on Baltimore’s Progress Toward Citizen-Owned Elections

Jul 30, 2018
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Democracy Reform Task Force Chair Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) released the following statement today after Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh approved a ballot question that would give voters the opportunity to amend the City charter and create Baltimore’s first citizen-owned election system.

Rep. Sarbanes, Senator Bennet Introduce the CLEAN Politics Act

Bill Would Rein In Pay-to-Play Politics and Reduce the Damaging Influence of Lobbyists on Our Democracy
Jul 25, 2018
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Democracy Reform Task Force Chair Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) joined Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) today in introducing the Curtailing Lobbyists and Empowering Americans for a New (CLEAN) Politics Act of 2018, a bill to curb pay-to-play politics and limit the undue access and influence of lobbyists in Washington.

Sarbanes Statement on Latest Developments in Emoluments Lawsuit Against President Trump

Jul 25, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Democracy Reform Task Force Chair Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) released the following statement today after U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte rejected President Trump’s attempt to halt a lawsuit accusing him of violating the U.S. Constitution by maintaining a personal financial interest in the Trump International Hotel in Washington:

Pages