“We commend Senator Hawley for seeking solutions to tackle the concentrated power of global corporations and out-of-control money in our elections,” said Jeff Clements, CEO of American Promise. “A vast majority of Americans across parties know that unbounded money in politics is warping representative self-government, and they want solutions to put power back into the hands of all Americans.”
Senator Hawley’s bill would prohibit publicly traded corporations from using Super PACs and so-called “independent spending” to influence elections. Beginning in the 1970s, the Supreme Court has up-ended state and federal anti-corruption laws that date back as far as 1907, in a series of controversial decisions holding that the spending of unlimited money in elections is “free speech” and beyond the reach of regulation by the American people.
According to a recent report from the Pew Research Center, Americans believe that the government no longer stands for the interests of the people, and is instead focused on the concerns of an elite donor class and committed mostly to generating limitless amounts of money for the next election. The For Our Freedom Amendment is the only enduring solution that will allow much-needed reform by restoring power back to the states and Congress to regulate money in politics.
“As Senator Hawley recognized, the Supreme Court’s decisions on corporations and money in politics cannot be squared with the Constitution as originally understood by the Framers or by Americans ever since,” said Brian Boyle, American Promise’s Executive Director. “It will take an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to permanently fix the disaster unleashed by the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United and other campaign finance cases.”
Boyle added: “We look forward to working with Senator Hawley and his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to correct the catastrophic effect of the Court’s activism in creating a supposed right of corporations, unions, and wealthy individuals to dominate and corrupt our campaigns and elections. By proposing the For Our Freedom Amendment, Congress can make good on the Constitution’s promise that representation and self-government belong to all Americans.”
“The vast majority of Americans, nearly 77%, support the For Our Freedom Amendment,” noted Clements, “and are connecting at American Promise to get the job done. We strongly urge Senator Hawley, his Senate colleagues, and all candidates in 2024 to sign the pledge to propose the For Our Freedom Amendment and end unlimited campaign spending.”
