End Citizens United // Let America Vote Action Fund President Tiffany Muller released the following statement ahead of the Senate Committee on Rules & Administration hearing on the DISCLOSE Act:
“Americans don’t want billionaires and wealthy corporations buying influence and drowning out the voices of regular people. But right now, billions of dollars of dark money are flooding our elections and our politics, allowing the rich and powerful to buy policy outcomes and politicians who will work for them, not for working families. That’s why we can’t make progress on the issues most important to American families, whether it’s combating climate change, lowering healthcare costs, or raising the minimum wage. And it’s exactly why we have partisan extremists on the Supreme Court overturning 50 years of precedent and taking away reproductive health freedoms.
“Transparency is critical to a democracy that’s open and accountable to the people. The DISCLOSE Act would shine a bright light on these dark money entities so that, at a minimum, we know who’s behind the flood of dark money. If any billionaire or special interest wants to flood money into our elections to buy influence, the American people have a right to know who’s behind the spending.
“For over a decade, Republicans in the Senate have blocked the DISCLOSE Act, including five times in 2021 & 2022. They are responsible for this system of unlimited dark money spending, despite Americans overwhelmingly opposing it and wanting transparency.
“We thank Senator Whitehouse for his continued leadership and for authoring the DISCLOSE Act, and to Senate Rules Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar for holding this hearing.”
The DISCLOSE Act is aimed at shining a light on the flood of dark money in elections by requiring organizations that engage in electioneering – including super PACs and 501(c)(4) dark money groups – to disclose the identities of donors who have given them $10,000 or more during an election cycle. It would require an organization that spends $10,000 or more on campaign expenditures to file a disclosure report with the Federal Election Commission within 24 hours of purchasing the expenditures. The DISCLOSE Act also addresses serious vulnerabilities in the system that currently allow foreign actors to meddle in our elections. This provision requires companies spending money in elections to disclose their true owners, so election officials and the public know who is behind the spending.
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