STATEMENT: Congress Scraps Anti-Corruption Measure

On Feb. 3, 2017, the Senate voted 52-48 to scrap a rule designed to prevent oil companies from bribing foreign officials. Referred to as the Cardin-Lugar transparency provision, the rule required U.S.-listed drilling and mining companies including Exxon, Chevron and many others to publish details of their payments to governments across the world in return for rights to natural resources, with the goal of ending corruption. Fair Share's Nathan Proctor had this statement:

"We cannot tolerate a society where the rules only apply to some, but not the most powerful companies. We are deeply concerned that it appears that a top concern of Congressional leadership was to remove an incredibly effective anti-corruption measure.

"We are waking up to a new reality where powerful companies are undermining transparency, accountability and fairness. We are deeply disappointed that our Congressional leaders have gone along with these schemes, and jettisoned our values of fairness and accountability.

"This is not how you drain the swamp."