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Today, Common Cause filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC,) and the Senate Ethics Committee calling for immediate investigations of Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), and James Inhofe (R-OK) for possible violations of the STOCK Act and insider trading laws. According to widespread reports, each of the Senators sold off significant amounts of stock from the personal portfolios after receiving classified briefings from government officials about the seriousness of the Coronavirus threat to the United States in January and February.

As public officials at every level of government wrestle with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, including implementation of social distancing measures that impact the public’s ability to attend government meetings and other proceedings, Common Cause encourages public officials to adopt emergency measures to protect public health while maximizing transparency and remote public participation and limiting government business to priority functions necessary under the current emergency conditions.

The major disruptions to yesterday's elections caused by COVID-19 hammered home the need to retrench and take steps now to safeguard our democracy. To protect the safety of all voters and the integrity of our elections, Common Cause is now calling for a delay of any in-person voting for at least the next few weeks. The COVID-19 crisis is reshaping many of our day-to-day lives in ways we weren’t expecting, including disrupting elections, but now is the time to act to ensure our primaries and general election are held this year and conducted in a safe, fair, and orderly manner.

As the country continues to grapple with challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Common Cause encourages election officials and lawmakers to consider adopting emergency measures to protect public health and every Americans’ right to vote in the upcoming primary elections and the November general election.

“We welcome steps the FCC is taking to urge broadband providers connect Americans during this unprecedented pandemic our nation is currently facing.  As businesses shift to telework policies and schools transition to online-only classes for extended periods of time, communities will need robust and affordable broadband access now more than ever. Unfortunately, the FCC has spent the last few years stripping much of its authority to oversee the broadband industry, preventing many of the provisions in this pledge from being enforceable."