Scandals in Washington, D.C., sparked a heated debate on reform of Congressional lobbying. In the midst of debate surrounding Jack Abramoff, Maryland PIRG stepped up efforts to address the underlying problem of money in politics.

Congress has reacted to the scandal by calling for bans on gifts and travel paid for by lobbyists, and for greater disclosure of the activities of lobbyists and members of Congress—both important steps to address the high-profile missteps reported in the media.

“Jack Abramoff is not the problem—he is a symptom of a system that is broken,” said Maryland PIRG Democracy Advocate Gary Kalman. “Congress’ addiction to increasingly large amounts of campaign cash threatens to put special interests ahead of the public interest.”

Maryland PIRG has long taken the lead on common-sense solutions such as campaign spending limits. On Feb. 28 our allies at Vermont PIRG went before the U.S. Supreme Court to urge the justices to overturn a misguided 30 year-old precedent that prevents states and the federal government from capping campaign spending. A decision is expected by June.