WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senate Republicans voted to block Senate debate of the DISCLOSE Act, allowing unlimited secret funding of campaign advertisements by corporations. Senator Merkley, an original co-sponsor of the DISCLOSE Act, released the following statement after the vote:
“Today’s rejection of the DISCLOSE Act is a dagger aimed at the heart of democracy. My Republican colleagues chose today to reject a bill that has two important objectives: ending secret campaign expenditures by corporations through common-sense disclosure requirements; and ending the corrupting practice of “pay-to-play” campaign donations by government contractors.
“In the Gettysburg Address, President Lincoln recognized that America was a nation built ‘of the people, by the people, for the people.’ However, America will be neither of the people, by the people, nor for the people if corporations – including foreign companies and giant government contractors – are able to hijack our electoral process by sinking millions of dollars into attack ads against any candidate or legislator who dares to put the public interest ahead of a company’s private interests.”
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