Ted Deutch: “I thank my friend from Massachusetts, a leader in the fight to get money out of politics. Last night, in his State of…”

“I thank my friend from Massachusetts, a leader in the fight to get money out of politics. Last night, in his State of the Union Address, President Obama called on Republicans and Democrats in Congress to embrace a better politics where we spend less time fundraising and spewing sound bites and more time debating issues in good faith to find common ground. A better politics, that is something all Americans want to see, and there is no better way to restore their faith in Congress than by getting Big Money out of politics. Today, my friends, is the 5-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, which granted corporations and megamillionaires a First Amendment right to buy unlimited influence in our elections. The results of Citizens United has been elections dominated by super-PACs and unaccountable outside groups, backed by a small group of the wealthiest Americans. Indeed, during the 2012 Presidential election cycle, 93 percent of super-PAC funding came from just over 3,000 donors, amounting to less than .01 percent of the American population; likewise, the 2014 midterm election cycle was the most expensive in history, with recordbreaking spending by outside groups. That is why, today, I ask the majority to join me and more than 80 of my colleagues in support of H.J. Res. 22, the Democracy for All amendment.…”