A group of republicans recently decided it was a good idea to take the powers away from the Congressional Ethics Office. This is a group that was formed in 2008 after a few congressmen were caught doing things that they should not be doing. Financial ethics have worried about how President-Elect Trump will transition into the White House. Trump has not stated whether he will keep his business dealings separate from The White House.
Republicans have voted to disable the watchdog over congress. Keep in mind that none of the party leaders have voted for this. Congress as a whole is set to vote on this change in the near future. The COngressional Ethics Office has a done a number of great things since it was first formed.
For example, the company found out that several members of congress were being paid to take trips to the Middle East. They also found out that Michelle Bachman had taken money from congress to run for president.
Additionally, the Congressional Ethics Office found out that Alan Grayson was using his office to handle his personal business matters. If the Congressional Ethics Office does gets its power taken away, then congressmen and women can get away with doing wrong.