On the recordJune 12, 2018
last week I gave my first floor speech. I spoke about how important it is for women to be represented in our government and why it is so important to keep working so that our legislature reflects the views and experiences of all Americans. =========================== NOTE =========================== On page S3748, June 12, 2018, near the top of the first column, the following language appears: Mrs. HYDE-SMITH. Mr. President, last week I gave my . . . The online Record has been corrected to read: Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, last week I gave my . . . ========================= END NOTE ========================= While increasing the number of women in this Chamber is important, it won't be enough by itself. Elections cost too much, and that is a big problem in our country. The sharp rise of secretive, unregulated money in politics means that we have no idea who is spending money on campaigns and candidates or why, and that is a profoundly troubling problem for our democracy. While there are many causes of the rise of money in politics, perhaps the biggest is the 2010 Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. FEC. The 5-to-4 decision in Citizens United struck down key limitations on campaign contributions that were enacted on a bipartisan basis in 2002. That decision has had dire consequences for our democracy. Since Citizens United, there has been successively more money poured into each congressional campaign cycle.…
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