From time to time, we’ll post “Congress Views” on lobbying. These will be opinions published by or attributed to members of Congress, on lobbying, lobbyists, and the lobbying community as a whole.

First up, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.):

Sen. Bennet, in introducing his bill to ban former members of Congress from the “revolving door” (moving from Congress to lobbying):

“The need for reform in Washington is glaring when 1,500 Wall Street lobbyists can drown out the voices of the American people and block a bill that reforms the big Wall Street banks,” Bennet said. “By preventing Members of Congress from lobbying when they leave Capitol Hill and preventing congressional staff from going back and forth through the revolving door, public officials can get about the business of helping the country.”

Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) has co-sponsored the bill. In his press release on co-sponsoring, Sen. Tester used similar language to Sen. Bennet:

“When Montanans sent me to the Senate, I imposed strict ethics rules on myself and my staff because Montanans expect open and honest government,” Tester said.  “It’s about time for all of Congress to make sure decisions are being made based on what’s right for our country, not based on who hires well-connected lobbyists.”