Sarbanes Calls for Reforms to Push Back Against the Influence of Big Money in Politics
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan 21, 2014
Congressman leading charge in House of Representatives to give everyday Americans the loudest voice in our democracy
CONCORD – U.S. Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today joined Professor Lawrence Lessig of Harvard Law School and Americans for Campaign Reform President Barbara Lawton at the Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership, and Public Policy for Can the Corruption of Congress be Cured? – a forum on the problem of big money in politics.
“Americans are sick and tired of a system where participation in the political process depends on the size of your wallet, not the power of your ideas,” said Congressman Sarbanes, author of the Government by the People Act. “We must restore the voices of individuals so that when Congress makes public policy, it is really in the interest of the public.”
At the forum, Congressman Sarbanes discussed the Government by the People Act, which he will soon introduce to fight back against the unlimited spending power of special interests and dark money groups. The legislation would provide a $25 tax credit for contributions to the campaigns of Congressional candidates, expanding participation in the funding side of campaigns to millions of everyday Americans for the first time. The measure would also provide a matching fund to boost up the voice of these grassroots donors, making their voices as powerful as the voices of big dollar contributors.
For candidates targeted by the unlimited resources of Super PACs and other outside special interests, the bill would bring extra resources to bear so the voices of individuals could not be drowned out. The Government by the People Act would restore our country’s democracy to one by the people, not one that is bought and paid for by big money campaign donors and special interests.
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