To the Editor:

From the Women’s March to protests at Logan Airport, people are turning out across the country to make their voices heard. These gatherings tell the story of a vibrant democracy, but behind the scenes our lawmakers have another constituency they’re listening to—special interest lobbyists.

Official reports show that lobbyists spent over $3 billion in 2016 alone to influence our federal lawmakers. But even those reports underestimate the size of the influence industry, where many lobbyists take advantage of loopholes that allow their work to go undisclosed.

Following a campaign where voters made ethics reform a top priority, Congress has an opportunity to pass long-lasting lobbying reforms that create a more transparent, accountable government. While President Trump signed a lobbying-reform executive order this past weekend, it features the same loopholes which allowed the lobbying industry to flourish during the Obama years.

To pass comprehensive, lasting reform, we need Congress to act now. Please contact your representative and ask them to pass lobbying reforms that crack down on special interest influences and close loopholes that allow lobbyists to dodge disclosure laws.

From,

Caitlin Moeller

UMass Student