Larson, Courtney Release Statement on House GOP Midnight Ethics Reversal

WASHINGTON, D.C —Today, Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01) and Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) issued the following statement on the House GOP partisan strike against the independent office of Ethics:

"The GOP majority in the opening minutes of the new Congress, voted behind closed doors to eviscerate the independence of the Office of Congressional Ethics - a grotesque move that turns the clock backwards in the effort to clean up Washington," said Larson and Courtney. "As members who have served on the House Ethics Committee, which reviews complaints referred by the Office of Congressional Ethics, we both vehemently oppose this change which was unveiled in the middle of the night yesterday with absolutely no input from the minority party, or more importantly, the public. Rather than ‘draining the swamp', their midnight rule will bloat the swamp by removing an independent avenue for complaints against House members from being heard. This is a step backward for governmental transparency and ethics."

Larson served on the committee from 2015-2016, and Courtney served on the House Ethics committee from 2011-2012.