Whitehouse, Langevin, Cicilline, & Gorbea Call for Federal Campaign Finance Reform Whitehouse’s DISCLOSE Act would shine a spotlight on dark money, restore power to ordinary Americans
Providence, RI – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressmen Jim Langevin and David
Cicilline, and Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea today called for an end
to unchecked corporate spending in elections at a roundtable discussion about
federal campaign finance reform.
The event, which was held at Save the Bay’s headquarters in Providence, was hosted
in partnership with Washington D.C.-based nonprofit Public Citizen and Common Cause
Rhode Island. The discussion comes in advance of the U.S. Senate and House of
Representatives gaveling back into session later in the day after summer recess, and
in the midst of a national election cycle in which outside spending by special
interest groups has outpaced candidate spending, according to the Center for
Responsive Politics.
«The American people want and deserve accountability in their elections,» said
Whitehouse, who introduced the DISCLOSE
Act
to require disclosure of donations greater than $10,000 to organizations spending at
least $10,000 in an election. The legislation includes a provision to prevent
organizations from evading disclosure requirements by laundering money through
multiple organizations. «Unchecked secret corporate spending has tipped the scales
of power away from ordinary Americans and in favor of big special interests. If
Congress is going to make meaningful progress in the months and years ahead on
important issues that matter to Rhode Islanders like addressing climate change,
reforming our broken campaign finance system is the first step.»
«Citizens United opened the floodgates, and the result has been disastrous. We must
remove the influence of big money from elections, and work toward a process that is
transparent and holds candidates accountable not to donors, but to the people who
matter most – the constituents,» said Langevin. «I applaud Senator Whitehouse for
his leadership on this issue, and I join him in our commitment to changing the way
we do business in Washington.»
«The ruling in Citizens United has proven to be one of the worst Supreme Court
decisions in our nation’s history,» said Cicilline. «I am proud that Rhode Island’s
Congressional Delegation is taking a leading role in calling for a Constitutional
Amendment to reverse this decision and restore government of the people, by the
people and for the people.»
Whitehouse’s DISCLOSE Act, which has been supported by Langevin and Cicilline in the
U.S. House of Representatives, is part of the «We the People» legislative
package
Senate in June to deal with secret corporate political spending, lobbyist influence,
the revolving door, and other facets of the campaign finance system to help level
the playing field and take back our democracy for regular Americans. Whitehouse
touted the suite of legislation as a solution to the corporate spending blocking
meaningful legislative
action
on issues like ensuring economic security for the middle class and addressing
climate change.
«Campaign finance reform is a critical issue that impacts everyone,» said Rhode
Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea. «Government can and must be effective,
transparent and accountable to the people it serves in order to succeed. Democracy
is at stake when the power of the collective voice of voters is overshadowed by big
money and special interests.»
Environmental advocates and legal experts on the panel pointed to the uphill battle
faced by ordinary citizens in countering the lopsided influence of corporate
spending on elections since the 2010 Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court.
At the event, Public Citizen presented a petition signed by more than 4,000 Rhode
Islanders calling for an amendment to overturn the Citizens United ruling.
«It didn’t take long after Citizens United for secret money has find its way to the
shores of Rhode Island,» said John Marion, Executive Director of Common Cause Rhode
Island. «We know that Rhode Islanders don’t want unlimited undisclosed money in our
elections. We are fortunate to have a congressional delegation that has taken this
issue seriously and has offered real solutions for the problems posed by big money
in our politics.»
«Senator Whitehouse is a national leader fighting to make our elections and
government work for everyday people again through the We the People Act,» said
Aquene Freechild, Campaign Co-Director of Public Citizen’s Democracy Is For People
Campaign. «He’s pushing the current Congressional majority to snap out of their
campaign cash-induced paralysis and stand up to the tiny but influential donor
class: by overturning Citizens United, disclosing all spending in elections, and
slamming shut the revolving door that transforms public servants into corporate
shills.»
Citizens United unleashed a previously restricted torrent of special interest money
into the political system. More than $1.5 billion in unlimited contributions,
including more than $500 million in secret contributions, have been poured into
federal elections since the decision was issued.
«Because of the erosion of campaign finance laws, the fossil fuel industry has been
freely able to exert enormous influence over both the legislative process and
regulatory structures,» said Johnathan Berard, Clean Water Action’s Rhode Island
State Director. «In 2014 alone, the oil and gas industry contributed over $64
million to campaigns, PACs, and industry groups, and because of the Citizens United
decision, the source of much of this money remains undisclosed. Oil and gas money
goes to help elect candidates that actively undermine efforts to safeguard the
environment, push for industry-friendly regulations, and ensure that taxpayers
continue to subsidize companies that profit immensely from the irresponsible
exploitation of our natural resources. This has tremendous consequences for the
environment and public health, so we are pleased to see Senator Whitehouse and
colleagues working diligently to address these disastrous practices.»
«Sadly, under our current election system money can buy outsized political
influence,» said Michael J. Yelnosky, Dean of Roger Williams University School of
Law. «Common sense campaign finance reform is necessary to begin to restore the
promise of democracy.»