ReFormers Caucus: Fixing Democracy Should be a Top Priority of Congress

As our country celebrates its independence, the ReFormers Caucus calls on Congress and the next president to make restoring the integrity of our democracy a top priority.

Two hundred and forty years ago, our Founders fought against tyranny and boldly proposed a new form of government that would derive its power from the consent of the people.

Today, this experiment in self-government and our pursuit of life, liberty and happiness are under grave threat. While Washington sits gridlocked, our citizens are increasingly distrustful of and alienated from their government. We the People believe an exclusive minority of contributors, whose money and influence override the will of the people, have become too powerful at the expense of the citizens.

We are the ReFormers Caucus, a group of 150 former members of Congress and governors who have transcended partisan divides to collectively call on our elected leaders to restore the republic our Founders envisioned.

On this historic day when we mark our nation’s hard-fought independence, we petition for redress and declare that our form of government has been captured by special interests with oversized power to sway how our laws are made and enforced. Campaign contributions and the significant burden of fundraising make it increasingly difficult for our lawmakers to lead or agree on common-sense laws to improve the quality of life for all Americans.

This is destructive for our representative democracy resulting in a full-fledged governing crisis.

We all bear the heavy burden of a pay-to-play government that is less responsive to the needs of local constituents than it is to politically influential interests. Fixing our democracy should be the highest priority for our next president and Congress.