Anti-Corruption Plan

TAYLOR WETTACH’S PLAN FOR TRUST & INTEGRITY REFORM

Taylor Wettach’s plan for trust and integrity reform is meant to root out corruption and make the government more transparent, accountable, and representative of the people, rather than the rich and powerful. The plan focuses on campaign finance, election and anti-corruption reforms designed to make our elected leaders answerable to their constituents – not corporations and special interest lobbyists.

Campaign Finance Reform: End The Corrupt System of Money For Influence

End Citizens United: The Citizens United decision opened the door to unlimited spending by super PACs and dark-money organizations, allowing large sums to flow into elections from donors whose identities are often unknown. To put that to an end, I support:

  • Repealing Citizens United and reinstituting common-sense campaign finance rules.
  • Requiring all organizations making election-related expenditures — including dark-money groups — to promptly disclose their large donors.
  • Requiring super PACs and political nonprofits to provide information sufficient to trace contributions to the true underlying sources, not merely intermediary shell entities.

Ban Federal Candidates from Taking Corporate PAC Money: Corporate PAC contributions remain a significant avenue for corporate influence in federal elections. Eliminating this source of funding would reduce the perception and risk of policy decisions being tied to corporate interests.

Ban Foreign Corporate Influence in American Elections: While federal law prohibits foreign nationals from contributing to U.S. campaigns, foreign-owned or foreign-financed companies can currently spend to influence elections. Closing this loophole is critical to preventing indirect foreign interference.

 

Close the Loopholes for Single Candidate Super PACs: Strengthen coordination rules so that a super PAC run by an individual with personal, political, professional, or family ties to a candidate is treated as coordinated – closing a major avenue for circumventing contribution limits.

 

Ban Lobbyists from Donating, Bundling, and Fundraising for Candidates: Reducing the financial role of paid lobbyists helps ensure that access and influence are not tied to fundraising power.

 

Establish a Publicly Financed, Small Dollar, Matching Funds Program for Candidates and Parties: Establish a system that matches small donations with public funds for both candidates and parties, similar to models used in cities and states across the country. Such systems amplify the voices of ordinary voters, reduce reliance on large donors, and shift candidate incentives toward community engagement rather than high-dollar fundraising.

 

Campaign Election Reforms: Voters, Not Politicians, Shape Representation

 

Ensure Voters, Not DC Elites, Pick the Candidates: Far too often, DC elites put their thumbs on the scale of party primaries. They quietly influence party primaries while publicly claiming neutrality, giving voters the impression of a fair choice when the outcome is already being steered behind the scenes. Party organizations may put pressure on supposedly independent actors to endorse a chosen candidate, seeking to cloak a coronation in the appearance of democracy. This DC tradition is happening yet again in the Democratic Primary for Iowa’s First Congressional District. Such practices should be restricted through party rules and, wherever applicable, by law. We should be way past the era of party bosses and backroom dealings — Iowa voters deserve a process that reflects genuine democratic choice.

Ban Partisan Gerrymandering and Adopt Independent Redistricting Commissions: When electoral districts are drawn to protect one party, meaningful competition is eliminated.

“Safe” districts reduce voter influence, entrench incumbents, and weaken accountability. District maps should be drawn by impartial, citizen-led bodies using transparent criteria and public input, which can reduce partisan bias. 

 

Reform Partisan Primaries: In heavily one-party districts, the primary often determines the ultimate winner. Closed partisan primaries exclude many voters — independents, unaffiliated voters, and sometimes members of the minority party — from participating in the most consequential stage of the election. I support changing state election systems: opening up primary elections to all voters, regardless of party registration, and giving them more candidate choices to decide who represents them.

 

Federal Ethics & Anti-Corruption Reforms: Putting People Before Power

 

Financial Conflicts, Asset Transparency & Government Spending: Financial conflicts of interest and opaque spending practices undermine public confidence in government. Strengthening trust requires clear, enforceable rules that prevent officials from using public office for personal financial gain and ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent transparently and responsibly. Robust disclosure standards, strict limits on self-dealing, and meaningful oversight are essential to maintaining the integrity of federal public service.

  • Ban stock trading by federal officials and their families
  • Strengthen federal financial disclosure forms
    • Mandate electronic, searchable disclosure databases
    • Expand reporting categories to include LLCs, trusts, digital assets, and other vehicles commonly used to obscure financial interests
  • Require blind trusts for all federal officeholders and ban use of shell companies to reduce opportunities to hide assets, obscure conflicts, or engage in self-dealing
  • Strengthen bans on members directing federal contracts to donors by reinforcing existing rules prohibiting self-dealing and protect procurement processes from political influence
  • Increase transparency around Congressional earmarks by creating a centralized, publicly searchable database of all earmarks, requiring conflict-of-interest disclosures and banning earmarks that benefit a Member’s family, personal businesses, or close associates
  • Ban the personal use of Congressional office budgets, including prohibiting family members from being paid by Congressional offices or political committees
  • Ban Members of Congress from using taxpayer dollars for first-class or business-class air travel
  • Ban the abuse of leadership PACs for personal spending
  • Ban salary payments to Members of Congress, Executive Branch officials, and senior staff during government shutdowns

 

Lobbying & Influence: Strengthening ethical standards in government also requires limiting undue influence over the policymaking process. Clear rules around lobbying, transparency, and access are essential to ensuring that public decisions are made in the open and without disproportionate influence from former officials, special interests, or outside groups.

  • Institute term limits and age caps
  • Establish a lifetime ban on lobbying for former Members of Congress, their families, and senior staff
  • Close the “shadow lobbying” loophole by updating the definition of lobbying so individuals who influence policy but do not formally register are covered
  • Require public logs of all meetings with outside interests to ensure transparency around who has access to the policymaking process
  • Mandate disclosure of ghostwritten bills, so that when outside groups draft bill text, members must publicly report the source to ensure integrity and accountability in the legislative process

 

Ethics:

  • Create a truly independent Congressional ethics agency empowered to conduct investigations, issue binding rulings, and enforce ethics standards to ensure oversight is not controlled by the individuals being regulated
  • Institute a code of ethics for Supreme Court Justices