LETTER: Congress must put the people first
Published 4:30 pm Monday, April 13, 2026
When members of Congress are elected, they swear an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States as public servants to the people who elected them. Too many members of Congress have become long-term “professional politicians,” placing their own self-interest ahead of the people.
Citizens United has been disastrous for our democracy, stealing influence from the people and placing it in the hands of corporations, dark money groups and even foreign governments. Using insider information, members of Congress are getting rich on their stock trades, while regular hardworking people struggle to pay for groceries, housing, childcare and healthcare, all while faithfully paying their taxes and getting less and less in return from DC. Members of Congress should represent us, not big-money special interests who pad their pockets with campaign contributions.
Such “quid pro quo” must stop! Mary Peltola has plans to make life better for Alaskans, and stop this corruption. She wants to tighten disclosure laws, so that we know exactly who is funding campaigns and why; and she wants to amend the Constitution to overturn the disastrous Citizens United decision, which has allowed too much money from too few people to hold influence over Congress. Peltola supports banning members of Congress, the Administration, and their families from directly trading individual stocks. Our leaders need to be true public servants, not out-of-touch career politicians. Mary Peltola represents the people.
