Sylvester Turner: “I thank my fellow freshmen, Democrats and Republicans, who are fighting for campaign finance reform. I also thank my…”

“I thank my fellow freshmen, Democrats and Republicans, who are fighting for campaign finance reform. I also thank my fellow blue dog Democrats who worked to bring this issue to the floor by pushing the discharge petition calling for a fair and open debate. Why are we fighting so hard? Because we believe that big money has a corrupting influence upon politics. We want votes, not dollars, to count in these halls. We want the strength of one's argument, not the size of one's pocketbook, to determine public policy. And we want to ensure that this government is not for sale to the highest bidder. The American people deserve to know that this Congress investigates every allegation of campaign finance abuse, not to secure partisan advantage but to restore public trust and confidence in government. While we investigate allegations surrounding Johnny Chung and possible corporate influence on decisions to grant licenses to sell technology to China, let us not forget that at the end of the day it is about big money in the political process.”