WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 26, 2025 — As we speak, on the anniversary of the SpeechNow.org v. FEC D.C. Circuit Court docket resolution, Congresswoman Summer season Lee (PA-12), Congressman Ro Khanna (CA-17), Congressman James P. McGovern (MA-02), Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), together with Representatives Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Chris Deluzio (PA-17), and Delia Ramirez (IL-03), launched the Abolish Tremendous PACs Act, laws that seeks to place an finish to tremendous PACs in federal elections. The invoice would place a $5,000 per calendar yr restrict on contributions to tremendous PACs, successfully abolishing them.
At a press convention earlier right this moment, Reps. Lee and Khanna unveiled the invoice and have been joined by John Bonifaz, President of Free Speech For Folks, Lawrence Lessig, Founding father of EqualCitizens.US and Roy L. Furman Professor of Regulation and Management at Harvard Regulation Faculty, Aquib Yacoob, Chief of Workers of Ladies’s March, and Lauren Maunus, Advocacy Director of IfNotNow Motion.
Billionaires, firms, and different rich pursuits are presently in a position to make limitless contributions to “tremendous PACs” that aren’t managed by candidates or political events, even after they spend cash to assist or oppose particular candidates. These limitless contributions to tremendous PACs in federal elections usually rise to the extent of hundreds of thousands of {dollars}, presenting the specter of corruption within the political course of and staggering affect by the ultra-wealthy.
“Marketing campaign finance reform is lengthy overdue. We’re seeing the results of cash in politics destroy our democracy at this very second as a result of billionaires have been allowed to purchase their method into our politics and affect the end result of our elections. This should finish,” stated Rep. Summer season Lee. “The Abolish Tremendous PACs Act is one step in direction of placing the ability again within the fingers of the folks and dismantling the oligarchy our nation is careening to. Marketing campaign finance reform begins with Congress passing this laws, and I’m grateful to my colleagues and our advocates within the motion for his or her assist of this vital invoice.”
“The American individuals are sick of the corruption and affect of cash in politics. Our democracy shouldn’t be on the market. That’s why I don’t take a dime of PAC cash. Abolishing Tremendous PACs is a step towards giving everybody a voice — not simply the ultra-wealthy. I’m proud to hitch Rep. Summer season Lee to introduce this laws to ban Tremendous PACs. I’m grateful for Larry Lessig’s scholarship and voice on this concern,” stated Rep. Ro Khanna.
“A scarcity of limits on contributions to Tremendous PACs permits corruption and darkish cash to run rampant in U.S. elections. It makes us extra weak to overseas interference. And it contributes to billionaire nepo child Elon Musk with the ability to purchase his method into our authorities and make a mockery of it. The time is now to cease the undue affect of darkish cash and particular pursuits in our elections,” stated Rep. James P. McGovern. “Our elected leaders needs to be chosen by the folks with the strongest voices, not the billionaires with the deepest pockets. We will’t let the individuals who wish to destroy our democracy hold getting away with this. The Abolish Tremendous PACs Act would cease the uncontrolled move of limitless cash into our elections and return the ability again to the folks.”
“Our democracy needs to be of the folks, by the folks, and for the folks – not on the market to the very best bidder,” stated Rep. Pramila Jayapal. “In each cycle because the disastrous Residents United and SpeechNow.org selections, we’ve got seen an increasing number of particular curiosity darkish cash poured into campaigns throughout the nation – this yr, with a billionaire paying hundreds of thousands to purchase a seat as Shadow President. I’m proud to co-lead Rep. Lee’s Abolish Tremendous PACs Act to cap contribution limits and be sure that our authorities isn’t beholden to donors.”
“Our system is corrupt. Tremendous PACs spent a record-breaking $1 billion in darkish cash this previous election cycle. When billionaires and particular curiosity teams proceed shopping for our elections, together with seats in Congress, politicians will proceed to be accountable to the wants of the wealthy and highly effective as a substitute of the folks,” stated Rep. Rashida Tlaib. “This isn’t democracy. It’s oligarchy. We have to go the Abolish Tremendous PACs Act and overturn Residents United.”
The Supreme Court docket has lengthy held that limits on contributions impose solely a “marginal restriction” on free speech, and that states have a proper to restrict contributions to stop the danger of quid professional quo corruption and the looks of corruption. Nonetheless, a wrongly determined 2010 DC Circuit Court docket of Appeals resolution in SpeechNow v. FEC struck down contribution limits to political motion committees engaged in making unbiased expenditures.
The appeals courtroom stated that as a result of the Supreme Court docket dominated in Residents United v. FEC that unbiased expenditures didn’t pose a threat of corruption, limitless contributions to unbiased expenditure PACs couldn’t pose a threat of corruption both. However the resolution ignored (1) the Supreme Court docket’s longstanding apply of distinguishing between contributions and expenditures and holding expenditures to a heightened degree of scrutiny; and (2) the truth that even when anti-coordination legal guidelines forestall candidates and tremendous PACs from reaching quid professional quo agreements, those self same legal guidelines don’t cease candidates and tremendous PAC contributors from agreeing to a quid professional quo association that contain funneling bribes via tremendous PACs.
This federal invoice can be in keeping with the Supreme Court docket’s precedent upholding contribution limits, somewhat than the doubtful SpeechNow resolution of the federal appeals courtroom.
The Abolish Tremendous PACs Act is endorsed by Widespread Protection, Court docket Accountability, Dream Defenders, Finish Residents United, Equal Residents, Free Speech For Folks, Gen-Z for Change, Grassroots World Justice Motion Fund, IfNotNow Motion, Jewish Voice for Peace Motion, Justice is World Motion, Transfer to Amend, MPower Change Motion Fund, Nationwide Iranian American Council Motion, Our Revolution, Peace Motion, RepresentUs, RootsAction, Rural Organizing, Dawn Motion, US Marketing campaign for Palestinian Rights Motion, and Ladies’s March.
“We applaud Congresswoman Lee for championing this vital laws to abolish tremendous PACs,” stated John Bonifaz, a constitutional lawyer and the president of Free Speech For Folks. “Within the fifteen years because the SpeechNow ruling created tremendous PACs, we’ve got witnessed the best way during which billionaires and different rich pursuits use tremendous PACs to deprave the political course of. This laws would forestall that rampant corruption and would assist defend our democracy. We strongly assist this invoice.”
“The broligarchs that personal the Trump administration – and bankroll extremist politicians throughout the nation – have used tremendous PACs to purchase elections and drown out the voices of on a regular basis folks for a lot too lengthy,” stated Rachel O’Leary Carmona, Government Director of Ladies’s March. “This administration and its billionaire backers have made unilateral selections that have an effect on the well being and security of all People, and have attacked our rights, freedoms, and Structure within the course of. The Abolish Tremendous PACs Act is an important step towards reclaiming our democracy and dismantling methods that enable billionaires and firms to regulate our elections. Our authorities ought to serve the folks, not the very best bidder.”
“Tremendous PACs are some of the corrosive and corrupting forces in our democracy,” stated Finish Residents United Motion Fund President Tiffany Muller. “They’ve turn into instruments for billionaires and company particular pursuits to purchase elections and form coverage to serve their pursuits. It’s why an increasing number of People don’t consider they’ve a voice in Washington and that the federal government doesn’t work of their curiosity. The Abolish Tremendous PACs Act is a commonsense step towards rooting out corruption and restoring belief in authorities. We’re grateful for Representatives Lee and Khanna’s continued management and advocacy to make sure our authorities works for everybody––not simply the rich.”
“Corrupt billionaires like Elon Musk ought to by no means have been allowed to purchase our authorities,” stated Alex Aronson, Government Director of Court docket Accountability. “However within the wake of the Roberts Court docket’s disastrous Residents United resolution, that’s precisely what the system of big-money tremendous PACs has produced. It doesn’t must be this fashion. The American folks deserve a authorities that works for them, not for whichever oligarch cuts the largest checks. We applaud Rep. Lee and her colleagues for introducing this important laws to combat for a democracy that belongs to all of us, to not the very best bidder.”
“For 15 years, most attorneys have assumed that Madison’s First Modification requires SuperPACs. It doesn’t, and our pressing want now’s to finish this perversion of American democracy, and safe a democracy ‘dependent,’ as Madison promised, ‘on the folks alone.’” – Lawrence Lessig, Founding father of EqualCitizens.US; Roy L. Furman Professor of Regulation and Management, Harvard Regulation Faculty
“The corruption and incompetence of the Musk-Trump administration will destroy rural communities, and it’s the direct results of Tremendous PACs. The introduction of this laws to restrict the affect of Tremendous PACs is a daring and provoking step, and is crucial to rebuilding rural America. That is about returning energy to the folks and reaffirming that our democracy belongs to all of us, not simply the wealthiest few. RuralOrganizing.org is proud to endorse this effort and we’re calling on Congress to hitch Representatives Lee and Khanna in defending the voice of working class People by supporting this laws.” – Dom Holmes, RuralOrganizing.org
“Company Tremendous PACs are a key instrument of billionaires and oligarchs to purchase and affect elections and to take energy out of the fingers of voters,” stated Jewish Voice for Peace Motion Political Director Beth Miller. “Tremendous PACs like AIPAC’s United Democracy Undertaking spent eye-popping sums of cash over the past cycle to oust progressives as punishment for reflecting fashionable and widespread voter sentiment in assist of Palestinian rights. If we wish to construct a very consultant democracy that helps our communities and values justice and human rights, we should do away with these inherently anti-democratic establishments.”
“The 2010 federal appeals courtroom ruling in SpeechNow.org v. FEC successfully legalized corruption in our electoral processes. As a collective of Gen-Z organizers, we demand a future during which our representatives prioritize the wants of their constituents over the wishes of power-hungry firms and rich elites. The introduction of the Abolish SuperPACs Act is a wonderful first step in restoring accountability and religion in our democracy.” – Gen-Z for Change
“Permitting Tremendous PACs is like handing billionaires and particular pursuits a personal broadcast tower to drown out democracy’s sign. At a time when quickly spreading authoritarianism threatens the foundations of our republic, letting large cash hijack the electoral airwaves turns into much more harmful. The Abolish Tremendous PACs Act is an opportunity to drag the plug and tune again into the voice of the folks.” -Jon Rainwater, Government Director at Peace Motion
“For a lot too lengthy, elected officers have prioritized billionaires’ revenue over the folks. We’ve watched firsthand as Company Tremendous PACs have corrupted our political system, sidelining the problems that matter most. As only one instance, AIPAC has bullied elected officers into violating human rights again and again, regardless of growing public assist for the Palestinian folks’s wrestle. This invoice permits us to lastly place limitations on these Company Tremendous PACs and drive electeds to signify the folks.” -Ahmad Abuznaid, US Marketing campaign for Palestinian Rights Motion (USCPR Motion) Government Director
“It’s previous time to abolish Tremendous PACs and finish their corrosive affect on our wounded democracy,” stated Sam Rosenthal, Political Director of RootsAction. “Tremendous PACs have backed working folks within the U.S. right into a nook. We’re subjected to rule by more and more unpopular politicians whose candidacies are propped up by a handful of ultrawealthy donors and their darkish cash. RootsAction is proud to assist this courageous effort by Representatives Lee and Khanna to finish this stain on our political course of as soon as and for all.”
“The Abolish Tremendous PACs Act is a crucial strike in opposition to the corrosive flood of unchecked cash in our elections. By capping contributions and dismantling the tremendous PAC machine unleashed by SpeechNow.org, Rep. Summer season Lee’s invoice confronts the fact that limitless spending drowns out on a regular basis voters and fingers our democracy to the very best bidders. It’s a daring step towards a authorities of, by, and for the folks—not the wealthiest few.” – Naveed Shah, Political Director at Widespread Protection
“We’d like billionaires and company pursuits out of our politics. Large Oil, AIPAC, and the crypto foyer shouldn’t be in a position to pour hundreds of thousands of {dollars} into elections to override the need of the folks,” stated IfNotNow Motion political director Lauren Maunus. “We demand that Members of Congress take the ability away from Tremendous PACs and return it to the folks.”
“For a lot too lengthy, company tremendous PACs and billionaires have trampled over the rights of voters and dealing households in makes an attempt to affect and purchase our elections,” stated MPower Change Motion Fund Legislative and Political Director Yasmine Taeb. “Tremendous PACs corresponding to AIPAC’s United Democracy Undertaking spent hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in opposition to progressive working class Members of Congress who’ve been advocating for Palestinian rights. As the most important Muslim digital group within the U.S. with greater than half 1,000,000 members nationwide, we applaud Congresswoman Summer season Lee and Congressman Ro Khanna’s management in introducing The Abolish Tremendous PACs Act and urge Congress to go it directly.”
“Whether or not it’s elevating the minimal wage, offering high quality healthcare to all, or stopping the local weather disaster — billionaires and their lobbyists have weaponized darkish cash SuperPACs to cease vital insurance policies, stated Dawn Motion Government Director Aru Shiney-Ajay. “They’ve rigged the sport to allow them to veto any coverage that will damage their backside line. We should finish this corrupting affect so we’ve got a democracy that’s actually by and for the folks.”
A replica of the invoice textual content may be discovered right here, and a one-pager may be discovered right here.
Footage from the press convention may be discovered right here, and images may be discovered right here.
Study extra at: AbolishingSuperPACs.org
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