The American people need an independent ethics committee in the U.S. Senate to reduce corruption and hold lawmakers accountable to high ethical standards.
Current ethics enforcement in the U.S. Senate is based on a system of self-policing, in which members are responsible for enforcing ethics rules against their own colleagues.
As a result, the Senate consistently fails to hold its members accountable for unethical behavior.
The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics is comprised of an equal number of Democratic and Republican senators who are responsible for looking into allegations of wrongdoing.
But self-policing is an impossible system; senators often take advantage of the fact that it is their own colleagues investigating them and frequently break the rules with little to no consequence.
The Senate Ethics Committee Routinely Reports Little to No Follow Through
Every year, the committee’s shortcomings are highlighted upon the release of their annual report, detailing the amount of ethics investigations they conduct into potential violations.
In 2024, the Senate Ethics Committee received 158 alleged violations of ethics rules but only conducted nine preliminary investigations. Of those investigations, eight were dismissed and they only issued one private letter of admonition.
This latest report fails to show any demonstrable change from previous years; the committee dismissed nearly all the 145 complaints it received in 2023.
In 2022, the Senate Ethics Committee received 92 allegations of ethics violations. Only 22 matters were investigated with a preliminary inquiry, of which 15 (68%) were dismissed.
The ineffectiveness of the Senate Ethics Committee extends beyond the last few years — Campaign Legal Center (CLC) has been pointing out its shortcomings for over a decade.
The Leading Example of the Office of Congressional Conduct
It does not have to be this way. The House has figured out how to uphold ethics rules and laws transparently and effectively, through the Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC).
The OCC has successfully operated independently from the House Ethics Committee since its creation in 2008. In 2023, the OCC conducted 14 investigations, dismissed three, found four violations and published two reports.
In comparison, the Senate Ethics Committee conducted 19 investigations, dismissed 12, found one violation and did not publish a single report. Not only has the OCC been more effective in its ethics enforcement, but it also has been significantly more transparent.
Every quarter, the OCC releases a report detailing the statistics of the actions it has taken, and throughout the year, it releases public reports of its investigations.
This disparity isn’t a result of an off year for the Senate Ethics Committee. CLC conducted a comparative study to evaluate 15 years of ethics enforcement in the U.S. House and Senate, from 2009 to 2023, and it was conclusive that the Senate Ethics Committee falls woefully short in its enforcement of ethics rules and laws.
Holding Lawmakers to the Highest Standard
The lack of accountability in the Senate for ethics violations decreases public trust because it strips voters of their right to know whether their elected officials are acting ethically. A lack of trust in politicians is detrimental for the image of government institutions in the public mind and democracy as a whole.
The American public deserves effective ethics enforcement in both chambers of Congress. Without it, senators will continue to favor the priorities of donors and special interests, as well as their own personal financial interests, over the needs of their constituents.
Alongside our decades long advocacy for independent Senate ethics enforcement, CLC continues to be a leading investigator into potential ethics violations: In 2024 alone, we filed 58 complaints with the Senate Ethics Committee to hold elected officials accountable.
Support our work to help demand ethical behavior from our lawmakers.