“Before the Supreme Court issued its decision in Citizens United ten years ago, Congress had set reasonable limits on individuals’ ability to influence federal elections through campaign contributions, the product of a historic, bipartisan compromise led by Senators John McCain and Russ Feingold.  Over the past decade, however, the Citizens United ruling has upended federal elections by allowing unlimited and undisclosed donations to organizations seeking to sway voters’ views on candidates and causes, often through misinformation.  As a result, vast sums of dark money from special interests have crowded out the voices of American voters.  This subverts our democracy and promotes division and partisanship.  It is a system that must come to an end, which is why House Democrats passed H.R. 1, the ‘For the People Act,’ last February in order to restore transparency and accountability to campaign finance laws.

“I was proud to bring H.R. 1 to the Floor and work with Rep. John Sarbanes, Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, and others to ensure that one of the first major bills passed by the Democratic Majority addressed the challenge of Citizens United head-on.  It would require the public disclosure of all donations and shine a light into the darkest corners of our broken campaign finance system.  For nearly a year, however, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans have blocked a vote on H.R. 1 and sought to defend this broken system that Citizens United created.  I urge them to listen to the voices of the millions of Americans asking for reform, asking to restore our democracy to the voters in whose hands it ought to rest.  I urge the Republican-led Senate to mark ten years of this terrible decision by finally having the courage to take the long-overdue action needed to address it.”