Press Releases

IL-13 Debate: Illinois Families Suffer Because Congressman Davis Answers to Corporate Special Interests

Oct 14, 2020

Betsy Dirksen Londrigan rejects corporate PAC money

Rep. Rodney Davis has taken over $3.5 million from corporate PACs 

Betsy Dirksen Londrigan and Congressman Rodney Davis faced off in the second debate tonight for Illinois’ 13th Congressional District. Dirksen Londrigan is running a people-powered campaign by rejecting corporate PAC money and emphasizing the importance of ending political corruption in Washington. Rodney Davis has accepted $3.5 million from corporate PACs and has made a career by favoring his corporate donors over the Illinois families he was elected to serve.

“Rodney Davis is the embodiment of Washington corruption, only serving his corporate special interest donors while Illinois families are left behind,” said ECU President Tiffany Muller. “In his quest for bigger checks from corporate special interest groups, he has proven that he only values the needs and wants of the corporate PACs that fund his campaign. Betsy Dirksen Londrigan represents the future of Washington. She prioritizes the real families and small businesses of Central Illinois, and doesn’t take a dime from corporate PACs. We’ll make sure Illinois voters remember that difference come November.”

Reform Legislation Davis Has Opposed:

  • For The People Act (H.R.1): The most sweeping anti-corruption, voting rights, and ethics reform legislation in a generation. It would expand Americans’ access to the ballot box, reduce the influence of Big Money in politics, increase transparency, and strengthen ethics rules for public servants.

  • Lower Drug Costs Now (H.R.3): This is a bold, critical bill that would significantly lower the cost of prescription drug prices for millions of Illinoisans by granting Medicare new powers to negotiate annual prices for the 250 most expensive drugs on the market. It would make the lower drug prices negotiated by Medicare available to Illinoisans with private insurance, and would stop drug companies from ripping off Americans while charging other countries less for the same drugs.

    • Davis has taken over $250,000 from Big Pharma corporate PACs. In 2017, Davis spearheaded the GOP tax bill, giving Big Pharma $76 billion in tax cuts. That same year, 30% of Illinois residents stopped taking medication as prescribed due to high costs, according to AARP.

Transparency and Accountability Measures Davis Has Opposed:

  • Davis voted against the TRUTH Act, legislation that brought transparency to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and aimed to prevent mishandling of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act stimulus bill meant for small businesses.

    • Unsurprisingly, without the oversight provisions in place, money meant for those including Illinois’ small businesses ended up in the hands of millionaires, billionaires, and large corporations.

  • In April, Davis voted against the formation of a House committee to oversee relief spending and to recover money taken by large corporations that should have never received the money.

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