Restoring Election Integrity

Floor Speech

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Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, 16 years ago, the Supreme Court overturned a longstanding precedent that protected working families' voices in our democracy.

By embracing this idea that corporations are entitled to the same speech rights as people, the Supreme Court opened the floodgates to unchecked corporate influence in governance and billionaire political spending.

The Supreme Court effectively put a price tag on representation. They put a price tag on the seats of this Chamber and they put a price tag on our democracy. But today I will make sure that I am clear in the House of Representatives: Our democracy is not for sale.

Our democracy is weaker when the voices of Black, Brown, middle- and low-income folks are drowned out by the volumes of ads a million dollars can buy.

Since the Citizens United decision, outside spending by super-PACs and dark money groups has exploded at every single level of government.

The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are a clear example. We know that to make Trump and their billionaire bosses happy, my colleagues, bought by big, corporate money, will leave working people unhoused. They will leave them foreclosed. They will leave them detained, deported, poor, hungry, sick, uninsured, and drowning, literally and figuratively.

It is time we finally prioritize a democracy that works for working people. One where Donald, where Elon, where Jeff, and all these billionaires pay their fair share. Their money has to be out of our elections and out of the White House, and their hands out of the working people's pockets and off our services, where our rights and our freedoms mean working people have every single thing they need to thrive.

We need bold legislative action if we are going to end corruption and get big money out of politics and get their corporate influence out of our communities.

That is why last year, I filed the Campaign Transparency Act and the Stop the Super PAC-Candidate Coordination Act and supported the Abolishing Super PACs Act. And today, as we are here during Special Order hour, I am proud to announce that I will also be introducing the Lobbyist Loophole Closure Act with Representatives Mullin and Williams.

That bill addresses the loopholes created by the Lobbyist Disclosure Act. The bill includes provisions to increase transparency and accountability by broadening the definition of lobbying and by also lowering the time threshold for registration.

Mr. Speaker, I will close by thanking End Citizens United and its president Tiffany Muller for all the work that they are doing to get dark money out of politics and that we ensure a democracy by the people for the people. It is time we end this, and I know that collectively we can do it.

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