On House Floor, Crow Calls on Congress to Pass H.R. 1 and Put Public Interest Before Special Interest

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Crow is a cosponsor of the For the People Act, (H.R. 1), which would combat a culture of corruption in Washington by limiting the unmitigated political power of special interests and lobbyists, protecting and expanding the right to vote, and restoring ethics and accountability to the federal government. The legislation would also push public servants to put the public interest ahead of large corporations or mega-donors.

In addition to his speech on the House floor, Crow spoke at the House Democratic Caucus' weekly press conference. He was joined by House Democratic Caucus Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8) and U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger (VA-07). Click here to watch the full press conference.

The legislation is expected to be considered on the U.S. House floor later this week.

In addition to being a co-sponsor of H.R. 1, Crow led a letter to Congress calling for an anti-corruption and reform bill to be the first item of business in the new Congress. In September 2017, he was one of the first to speak out against the corrupting influence of corporate PAC money in our elections. Dedicated to transparency and accountability, Crow is one of the few members of Congress to release his daily congressional meetings.

Below please Rep. Jason Crow's floor speech as delivered:

I rise today to call on my colleagues to support H.R. 1.

It is no coincidence that the largest freshman class since Watergate is also the one to pass H.R.1.

We are the class that is borne of voters' frustration with the broken system here in Washington.

Americans have seen this chamber pass bills that hurt the middle class, raise prescription drug prices, gut consumer protections, and fail to act on climate change.

Why?

Because the special interests have more power than the American people. It is the exact opposite of what should happen in the People's House.

In the Army, I was taught the values of servant leadership. As a captain, that meant leading by example and being the first to jump out of a plane. As a member of Congress, It means we hold ourselves to the highest standards of ethics, accountability and transparency.

Servant leaders don't hold a tight grip on power, they empower those around them.

And the first step to doing that is to pass H.R. 1 and return the power to the people who sent us here.

Let's show America that we are representative of those we were elected to serve, not the mega-donors and not the special interests.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I yield back.