The federal government’s ethics agency has rarely received much attention in Washington. That changed with the arrival of President Trump and an administration stocked with unusually wealthy appointees who have ties to industries they now help regulate. Suddenly, the usually sleepy Office of Government Ethics was clashing with the White House.
Walter M. Shaub Jr., the agency’s departing director, thinks those clashes have exposed weaknesses in ethics laws. Given that Republicans control both chambers of Congress, passing any of his proposals will be difficult, some more so than others. Here is what Mr. Shaub wants Congress to do