Political Quotes

“Madam President, we will soon be voting in this Chamber on S. Res. 64, which is a Congressional Review Act resolution looking at a Treasury Department rule that I believe will promote dark money in politics. Since the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United, our political system has been flooded--absolutely flooded--with money from special interest groups. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, independent expenditures on campaigns went from $203 million in 2010 to $1.48 billion less than 10 years later, in 2016. So it went from $203 million in 2010, after the Citizens United decision, to $1.48 billion in 2016. This massive influx of money into our elections undermines the confidence of the American people in our political system. It creates an environment that is ripe for corruption and inappropriate influence. It sows further disenchantment among the electorate and impacts participation in our democracy. It allows voters to believe that their votes are less important than businesses with a bigger checkbook. That is why it is so important that we ensure transparency and accountability in campaign financing through robust disclosure requirements and oversight. Unfortunately, instead of making it easier to identify individuals and organizations who are funding campaigns, the Treasury Department has issued a rule that will increase the amount of dark money in the political process.…”