Five words from former California Congressman Henry Waxman (D) summarizes episode three of Issue One’s podcast “Swamp Stories” about secret slush funds in Congress (also known as leadership PACs).
And Waxman should know: He originally helped create leadership PACs back in 1978, not to allow for lavish living as they are used today, but to exclusively support his fellow candidates running for office.
But that’s not how many members of Congress view leadership PACs today: They’re a ticket to living lavishly: Steak dinners, Super Bowl or concert tickets, and five-star weekend getaways, all under the guise of “fundraising.”
Listen to episode 3 and find out what happens when a common-sense prohibition about using campaign funds for personal use meets the “Swamp” and how fixing it is as easy as adding a comma, and three words to existing rules.
Learn more about the leadership PAC loophole by reading Issue One’s major reports. Waxman is also a member of Issue One’s ReFormers Caucus of more than 200 former members of Congress, governors, and Cabinet officials, all assembled to advocate for solutions to fix the broken political system.
