WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-08) took to the House floor to continue his push for his government reform agenda – specifically term limits for member of Congress.
Fitzpatrick’s full remarks are below and his speech can be viewed HERE
“I’d like to thank my colleague for Wisconsin, Mr. Gallagher, for his leadership on this issue and all the members of our class who have joined together in the shared believe that this institution is one of, by and for the people – not one belonging to a class of professional politicians or partisan elites.
Since being sworn in earlier this year to serve the people of Bucks & Montgomery counties, I’ve made it a mission to advance a common-sense, bipartisan government reform agenda that includes perhaps the single most important thing, I believe, we need to do in this nation: institute term limits.
For 14 years, serving as an FBI agent – most of that time being in the political corruption units throughout the country – there was one commonality I saw very frequently: There was an unmistakable correlation between the length of time in office and incidents of corruption. The lines that were very bright for elected officials coming into the system on day one, weren’t so bright in year seven, eight, nine, certainly not in year 15 or 20. Even the most well-intentioned individuals can be corrupted by a system that has the power to change people. The lines become blurred over time.
It is with this background and these real-world experiences that myself and my colleagues are pushing this issue in this chamber for the 115th Congress. I introduced House Joint Resolution 7 on my first day – along with other reform-minded measures. This is a Constitutional amendment that would once-and-for-all set term limits for members of the House and Senate.
As tonight shows, there is a wide range of support for this needed reform. And, in a time of deep political division and distrust between citizens and their government at an all-time high, term limits can be the first step towards restoring the essential bond between the American people and Congress.
So, I urge my colleagues to join in transitioning power away from the political class here in Washington D.C. and sending it back to its rightful place: in the hands of the American people.”
Since his swearing in earlier this year, Fitzpatrick has dedicated much of his effort to Congressional reform and anti-corruption measures to fix Washington’s broken system. On his first day in office, Fitzpatrick introduced a reform package comprised of:
- A Constitutional Amendment enacting term limits for all members of Congress;
- A Constitutional Amendment preventing members of Congress from being paid unless a budget is passed. This is not just withholding pay for a little while, this is complete forfeiture;
- A Balanced Budget amendment so we are forced to stop kicking the can down the road, and will create a fiscal path that will allow the next generation to thrive;
- And a bill I call the Citizen Legislature Anti-Corruption Reform – or CLEAN – Act that includes language to:
- End Congressional “pensions for life” and directs members toward standard 401K retirement savings accounts
- Requires this body to debate and act on single-issue legislation
- Codifies that all laws passed by Congress apply to its members
- Reforms the broken “Gerrymandering” process by moving all redistricting to independent, non-partisan citizen commissions, and
- Expands access to political party primaries to include both Independents and non-affiliated voters