The United States of America was built on the foundation of hard work and perseverance. Pair these two and you will accomplish your goals and live the American dream. This belief is powerful and guides many in our country to be successful and respectable members of society.
Though as the country has grown, so has the abuse of power in government. Certain regulations allow governmental officials to distribute wealth to family members, even if their actions do not deserve the sum they receive.
One of the most recent cases of this comes from California Democrat Representative Maxine Waters who has paid her daughter over $1.2 million in the last ten years.
This money comes from campaign contributions, which were donated to support the candidate in her political endeavors, not her family’s well being.
Many top Democrats have been called out for actions such as these and Republicans are putting their foot down by attempting to ban family members from being put on lawmakers’ campaign payrolls.
The New York Post reported on the new Republican Act:
The Family Integrity to Reform Elections (FIRE) Act, to be introduced by Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) on Monday, would bar any candidate running for federal office from compensating immediate family members for campaign services.
In a statement to the New York Post Pat Fallon said, “Maxine Waters [paid] $1.1 million to her daughter from campaign funds. Ilhan Omar, $2.9 million to her husband from campaign funds. James Clyburn, over $200,000 to multiple family members from his campaign.”
Fallon continued saying, “The numbers speak for themselves. Americans are sick of politicians abusing their voters’ hard-earned money. This modern-day spoils system must end. My bill shines light on shady campaign finance practices while punishing those who take advantage of these funds to enrich their families.”
“It is currently legal for lawmakers to employ family members to work on campaigns. However, Federal Election Commission regulations prohibit paying candidate relatives a salary unless they are ‘providing bona fide services to the campaign” and the salary represents “fair market value of the services provided,’” the New York Post article states.
What do you make of governmental candidates paying family members millions of dollars from campaign funds? Let us know in the Facebook comments!
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