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facebookWashington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Charles B. Rangel took action to force a long-awaited vote on a bill that is the first step to clean up the secret money in politics. Rangel joined his Colleagues in signing a discharge petition to bring up the DISCLOSE 2012 Act, H.R. 4010, which requires disclosure of corporate and special interest money in politics. The Senate is expected to consider this legislation next week.
“Today, in a key step to reform the money in politics, we are fighting for disclosure – to get unlimited, secret money out of politics. These reforms are crucial to preserving democracy so that special interests no longer dominate and block economic progress for middle class American families,” stated Rangel. “Republicans in Washington have held up this legislation for five months, even though the American people have a right to know the source of the money that is being spent to influence the outcome of our elections. “
The Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United opened the floodgates to unrestricted special interest campaign spending in American elections—permitting corporations to spend unlimited funds, directly or through third parties and Political Action Committees organized for those purposes, to influence Federal elections and opened the door for the emergence of Super PACs.
To shine the light on this money in politics, the DISCLOSE Act would strengthen and improve disclosure from Super PACs, corporations, and outside sources of campaign funding. The DISCLOSE Act would also require these groups to stand by their ads, require corporations to disclose their campaign expenditures to their shareholders, and require lobbyists to disclose their campaign expenditures.
While in the past, the GOP has said they support full disclosure of money in campaigns. Senate Republicans blocked this legislation in 2010 after the House passed it, and are holding it up again in this Congress. And we are already seeing the impact. In the last two years, super PACs have raised $181 million— with roughly half of it coming from fewer than 200 super-rich people and roughly 20 percent from corporations.
Democrats, led by Rep. Van Hollen, are launching this discharge petition, which can force action on legislation with signatures of a majority of the House of Representatives, because the Republican Leadership continues to block its consideration.
“The special interests that control the political system are blocking action in Washington for American families. Republicans in the House have refused to act on job-creating legislation, and instead are trying to end Medicare as we know it and protecting tax breaks for Big Oil, millionaires and billionaires and companies shipping jobs overseas. That’s why, together, we must fight against special interests – to reignite the American Dream for the families throughout the country,” noted Rangel.
The bill is supported by organizations dedicated to government reform, including Common Cause, Democracy 21 and Public Citizen.
