Latest News
“There’s an over-whelming cynicism of the American people in their government caused by the feeling that Congress has been corrupted by special interest money.”
- Warren RudmanFormer Senator from New Hampshire
ACR Chair
House Panel Schedules Historic Vote On Ending Special Interest Funding Of Congressional Elections
Friday, September 17th, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Americans for Campaign Reform, 9/17/10
Contact: Nick Mitchell
603-227-0626 / nmitchell@ACRreform.org
Bipartisan Former Senators Call on Congress to Pass Small Donor-Powered Fair Elections Now Act in Response to Billions in New Special Interest Spending
WASHINGTON, DC – When the Supreme Court ruled in Citizens United v. FEC to permit unlimited corporate spending in campaigns, congressional leaders and President Obama roundly condemned the decision on the grounds that “American elections [should not] be bankrolled by America’s most powerful interests.” (State of the Union Address, 1/27/10) As the fall elections heat up, analysts are
predicting political ad spending will top $4.2 billion, twice the level in 2008.
Eight months after the Citizens United ruling, the Committee on House Administration announced today that it would take up and vote on the Fair Elections Now Act, a sweeping overhaul of congressional campaign finance and the strongest reform measure to advance in Congress since the Watergate era. The measure, scheduled for mark-up on September 23rd, is supported by nearly 200 cosponsors in the U.S. House and Senate and by Americans for Campaign Reform (ACR), a bipartisan group of former U.S. Senators and Members of Congress.
“For years, we’ve been applying band-aids to a system of special interest-funded elections that’s rotten at the core and now is the time for the House to act decisively,” Former Senator Bob Kerrey (D-NE), Co-Chair of Americans for Campaign Reform (ACR), said. “Limits and disclosure alone will not change the fact that politicians continue to rely on millions of dollars from Wall Street banks, pharmaceutical companies, big oil and gas, labor unions, and other wealthy interests to directly fund their campaigns.”
According to ACR Co-Chair Former Senator Warren Rudman (R-NH), “The Supreme Court ruling reinforced a longstanding fact of life in our nation’s politics: there is an overwhelming cynicism of the American people in their government, caused by the widespread feeling that Congress has been corrupted by special interest money. The only way I know to fundamentally address this problem is citizen-funded elections.”
Former Senators Rudman and Kerrey are joined by Former Senators Bill Bradley (D-NJ) and Alan Simpson (R-WY), Co-Chairs of Americans for Campaign Reform, in calling on Congress to enact citizen-funded “Fair Elections”. The Fair Elections Now Act, backed by 190 Members of Congress, would provide a voluntary, competitive alternative to the existing private money system by matching small in-state donations with federal funds for qualifying House and Senate candidates who forego large donations. Matching funds would be raised through a small fee on large-scale government contractors receiving more than $10 million per year in contracts.
125 former Members of Congress and other respected government leaders like former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker and Reagan Defense Secretary Frank Carlucci and Commerce Secretary Pete Peterson, have joined the former Senators in endorsing the Fair Elections Now Act.