Financial Disclosure Transparency | Policymakers Financial Gains

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share on

LinkedIn

NPR, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and several other news outlets have reported that certain senators sold stocks just before the market crashed when the economic impact of Coronavirus came to light. Among them is North Carolina Senator Richard Burr.

The Wall Street Journal wrote:

Mr. Burr, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which has been receiving frequent briefings on the spread of Covid-19 since it emerged in China, made 33 stock trades on Feb. 13 worth between $628,000 and $1.7 million, according to the filings.

Mr. Burr, who is regarded as the Senate’s leading authority on pandemics as the author of the 2006 Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, is also on the Senate health committee, which was briefed on the coronavirus on Jan. 24.

Newspaper accounts said while the senator was publicly downplaying the threat of the virus, privately he was warning others of the risks. There have been demands for a full investigation.

This story demonstrates why policymakers’ financial disclosures must be accessible to the media and to the public to ensure that our leaders are acting in the public interest, not their own interest. Such disclosures should be easy to access and anonymously obtained. At the state level, ease of access can vary widely.

Pioneer Institute has ranked each state on financial disclosure transparency. How does your state stack up?

See our video on Financial Disclosures below:

Get Our COVID-19 News, Tips & Resources!

Name
First Last
Email
Comments
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Read Our COVID-19 News & Resources:

COVID-19 Roundup from Pioneer: When will COVID-19 peak in MA?; Life in the aftermath; Tracking potential treatments; Getting America working again; Taking virtual learning to new heights & more!

0 Comments

March 31, 2020

Pioneer staff (and readers) share their top picks for COVID-19 stories highlighting useful resources, best practices, and questions we should be asking our public and private sector leaders.

Students still need to learn during the coronavirus pandemic

0 Comments

March 31, 2020

This op-ed appeared in The Boston Globe on March 31, 2020. State…

COVID-19 Roundup from Pioneer: When should America re-open?, $2T federal relief impact, Tax deadline pushed, COVID-19 video contest & more!

0 Comments

March 30, 2020

Pioneer staff share their top picks for COVID-19 stories highlighting useful resources, best practices, and questions we should be asking our public and private sector leaders.

New Policy Brief on Federal Relief Act’s Impact on Massachusetts

0 Comments

March 30, 2020

Greg Sullivan and Charlie Chieppo review the impact of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act on Massachusetts' budget.

Congress should fix aid, provide block grants

0 Comments

March 27, 2020

This op-ed by Greg Sullivan and Charlie Chieppo appeared in the…

New Brief Calls on the USED for School Closure Guidelines During COVID-19

March 27, 2020

Pioneer calls on the federal government to quickly release a single report identifying which federal laws - and which aspects of those laws - are relevant to the topic of school closure during the COVID pandemic, and providing concrete guidance on how schools can comply in the coming weeks.