WASHINGTON – Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Co-Chairs Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) issued the following statement today in response to the Supreme Court’s decision in McCutcheon v. FEC, which removes aggregate limits on individual campaign contributions:
“The Supreme Court’s McCutcheon v. FEC ruling means millions of dollars are now the price of admission in our democracy. The Court has decided the voices of working Americans don’t need to be heard. The Congressional Progressive Caucus included public financing of federal elections in this year’s budget proposal to give power back to them.
“Yesterday’s decision, like Citizens United before it, hands more political power to the highest bidders. Instead of strengthening our democracy, Chief Justice Roberts and the conservative wing of the Court continue to chip away its foundations. Our democracy doesn’t work when a small minority makes it impossible for the majority to participate, but that’s what McCutcheon and Citizens United have done.
“The Progressive Caucus supports public financing of our democracy and a constitutional amendment to address the harm done by Citizens United. An election decided by a single billionaire concerned only about his bottom line is not democracy. The genius of our political system is that it grants an equal voice to every voter. McCutcheon says that voice is less important than the money in a voter’s bank account. That’s not a world American families want to live in, and the Progressive Caucus stands with them.”
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