Recap: ECU and Cait Conley Host Town Hall on Corruption, Accountability, and Lowering Costs

Photo from behind of audience of more than 50 seated on folding chairs in front of Cait Conley, candidate for NY-17, and ECU President Tiffany Muller, who are seated in front of a wall of signs with Cait Conley for Congress. Cait Conley is raising her hand while speaking

Photo of Cait Conley, candidate for NY-17, smiling while speaking with a microphone. She is seated next to ECU President Tiffany Muller, who is also smiling. Behind them is a blue wall with Cait Conley for Congress and End Citizens United placards.

Nanuet, NY — Yesterday, at a town hall in Nanuet, End Citizens United and Army combat veteran and Democratic nominee for New York’s 17th Congressional District Cait Conley discussed the path toward building accountability in Congress. The event also called out Congressman Mike Lawler for his extensive record of corruption.

As Hudson Valley families face skyrocketing costs, from health care to groceries to utilities, Conley is campaigning to make Washington work for working people, not the wealthy donors and corporate special interests that fund Mike Lawler. After a career defending our country and protecting our elections, Conley spoke with ECU President Tiffany Muller about rooting out corruption and restoring accountability to Congress.

“While Cait Conley has spent her entire career defending this country, Mike Lawler has spent his time in office defending his donors” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “He’s pocketed more than $1 million from corporate PACs, turned his seat on the Financial Services Committee into a fundraising machine, and has abandoned the families who trusted him to represent them. I was honored to sit down with Cait today and show voters in the 17th district that the choice couldn’t be clearer. Cait is the leader this district needs to clean up Washington and make it work for working families again.”

“Right now, the system is rigged. The rich are getting richer, while everyday Americans struggle to get by. We need to root out Washington corruption to unrig this system and make the American Dream a reality once again. Unlike my opponent, who has taken over a million dollars in corporate PAC money, I will never take a dime, and when I’m in Congress, I’ll fight to get dark money out of politics by ending Citizens United and banning corporate special interests from rigging our elections. I’ll also push forward legislation that bans stock trading by members of Congress and the White House and that institutes Congressional term limits — because no one should be using their office to enrich themself or their billionaire buddies. I’m incredibly honored to have the support of End Citizens United, an organization on the frontlines of the fight to ensure our government serves the people, not corporations and special interests,” said Cait Conley, Democratic nominee for New York’s 17th Congressional District.

Conley is endorsed by ECU and joined Unrig Washington, pledging to reject corporate PAC money, back a ban on congressional stock trading, and commit to helping get dark money out of elections. Meanwhile, Rep. Lawler earned an “F” grade on ECU’s anti-corruption scorecard and secured a spot on ECU’s Most Corrupt Politicians List this year for consistently voting with special interests at the expense of his constituents.

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For 11 years, End Citizens United (ECU) has been dedicated to combating the two biggest challenges facing our democracy: the corrosive impact of Big Money in politics and attempts to block access to the ballot box. Since its founding in 2015, ECU has had over 1.4 million donors with an average donation of just $14. The group has more than four million members nationwide and is one of the nation’s leading anti-corruption organizations.