(Washington, D.C.) –
Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) spoke on the Senate floor to strongly
support the “Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in
Elections” (DISCLOSE) Act. This bill closes loopholes opened by the Citizens
United Supreme Court case that allows corporations and special interest
groups to spend unlimited amounts of their profits supporting or opposing
candidates in elections without disclosure or accountability. The DISCLOSE
Act was blocked by Senate Republicans when it failed on a 57-41 vote to get the
60 votes it needed to move to the floor.
“The
Citizens United ruling has given special interest groups a megaphone that they
can use to drown out the voices of citizens in my home state of Washington and
across the country,”
said Senator Patty Murray in her speech today. “The DISCLOSE Act
would tear that megaphone away and place it back in the hands of the American
people, where it belongs.”
The DISCLOSE Act would enhance
disclosures and disclaimers in campaign spending by corporations and special
interest groups. It would ban foreign governments from spending money to
influence U.S. campaigns. And it would make sure shareholders and voters are
fully informed of corporate campaign spending.
The
full text of Senator Murray’s speech follows:
“Mr.
President, I come to the floor today to speak in strong support of the DISCLOSE
Act, which would close the glaring campaign finance loopholes opened up by the
Citizens United ruling.
“Mr.
President, this Supreme Court ruling was a true step backwards for our
democracy.
“It
overturned decades of campaign finance law and policy. It allowed corporations
and special-interest groups to spend unlimited amounts of their money influencing
our democracy. And it opens the door wide open for foreign corporations to
spend their money on elections right here in the United States!
“The
Citizens United ruling has given special interest groups a megaphone they can
use to drown out the voices of citizens in my home state of Washington and
across the country. And the DISCLOSE Act would tear that megaphone away
and place it back in the hands of the American people, where it belongs.
“Mr.
President, this is a very personal issue for me. When I first ran for Senate in
1992, I was a long-shot candidate with some ideas and a group of amazing and
passionate volunteers by my side. These volunteers cared deeply about making
sure the voices of Washington state families were represented. They made
phone calls and went door to door—and they talked to families across the state
who wanted more from their government.
“Well,
Mr. President—we ended up winning that grassroots campaign because the people’s
voices were heard loud and clear.
“But
to be honest, I don’t think it would have been possible if corporations and
special interests had been able to drown out their voices with an unlimited
barrage of negative ads against candidates who didn’t support their interests.
“So
that is why I support the DISLOSE Act. I want to make sure no force is greater
in our elections than the power of voters across our cities and towns.
And no voice is louder than citizens who care about making their state and
country a better place to live.
“The
DISCLOSE Act helps preserve this American values in a number of ways.
“First
of all, it shines a bright spotlight on the entire process.
“The
DISCLOSE Act will make corporate CEOs and special interest leaders take
responsibility for their ads.
“When
candidates put campaign commercials up on television, we put our faces on the
ad and tell every voter that we approve the message. We don’t try to hide
what we are doing. But right now, corporations and special interest
groups don’t have to do that. They can put up deceptive and untruthful ads with
no accountability—and no ability for the public to know who is trying to
influence them.
“The
DISCLOSE Act also strengthens overall disclosure requirements for groups
attempting to sway our elections.
“Too
often, corporations and special interest groups are able to hide their spending
behind a mask of front organizations—because they know voters would be less
likely to believe the ads if they knew the motives behind their sponsors.
“The
DISCLOSE Act ends that—it shines a light on this spending and makes sure voters
have the information they need so they know what they can trust.
“This
bill also closes a number of other loopholes opened up by the Citizens United
decision. It bans foreign corporations and special interest groups from
spending in U.S. elections. It makes sure corporations are not hiding their
election-spending from their shareholders. It limits election spending by
government contractors to make sure taxpayer funding is never used to influence
an election. And it bans coordination between candidates and outside
groups on advertising—so corporations and special-interest groups can never
‘sponsor’ a candidate.
“Mr.
President, the DISCLOSE Act is a common-sense bill that should not be
controversial.
“Anyone
who thinks voters should have a louder voice than special interest groups
should support this bill.
“Anyone
who thinks foreign entities should have no right to influence U.S. elections
should support this bill.
“Anyone
who agrees with Justice Brandeis that ‘sunlight is the best disinfectant’
should support this bill.
“And
anyone who thinks we shouldn’t allow corporations like BP or Goldman Sachs to
spend unlimited money influencing our elections should support this bill.
“Mr.
President, every two years we have elections across this country to fill our
federal elected offices.
“Every
two years voters have the opportunity to talk to each other about who they
think will represent their communities best.
“And
every two years it is these voices of America’s citizens that decides who gets
to stand here representing them in the United States Congress.
“Mr.
President, this is the basis of our democracy—and it is exactly what the
DISCLOSE Act aims to protect.
“So
I am proud to support this bill. And I urge every one of my colleagues to vote
to move this bill forward.
“Thank
you. I yield the floor.”
English 
Spanish