Contact: Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami/Drew Hammill, 202-226-7616
Washington, D.C – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the Supreme Court’s overturning the ban on corporate contributions to election campaigns. In its decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Committee, the Court ruled that corporations may spend freely to support or oppose candidates for President and Congress.
"The Supreme Court’s decision represents a step backward for the American people and our nation’s political process. In lifting the limits on corporate influence in our elections, the Court opened the door to new avenues of corruption and placed special interests ahead of the public interest. With today’s ruling, the voices of average Americans could be drowned out by Wall Street banks, big oil, health insurance companies and other special interests.
"We cannot allow special-interest dollars to dictate the details of public policy. We will review the decision, work with the Obama Administration, and explore legislative options available to mitigate the impact of this disappointing decision."