People For the American Way today applauded a package of money in politics reform legislation introduced in the United States Senate by Sheldon Whitehouse, Tom Udall and Jeff Merkley along with other Senate Democrats. In addition to important reforms including stricter rules on coordination and disclosure, the package includes support for the Democracy For All constitutional amendment that would overturn Citizens United and related cases. Marge Baker, executive vice president at People For the American Way issued the following statement:
“Today’s package of reforms would go a long way towards limiting the influence of big money in our democracy and putting voters in charge of our elections. In particular, anyone who cares about our system of government should be glad that senators are continuing to push for an amendment to the Constitution that would undo some of the damage that’s been done by the Supreme Court in recent years. These are big problems and we need bold solutions. The Democracy For All amendment had the support of 55 senators in the last congress and, more importantly, has the support of the vast majority of Americans across the country.
“Lots of politicians talk about how money is harming our political system. This legislation is a concrete step toward fixing that problem. Senators who want to do more than score political points should support these reforms enthusiastically.”
People For the American Way Foundation is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and defend constitutional values including free expression, religious liberty, equal justice under the law, and the right to meaningfully participate in our democracy.
###