The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

Garrett Russo 202.408.5565

CREW: House Votes to Give Big Donors More Influence Over Elections

WASHINGTON

Today, the House of Representatives voted to eliminate the public
financing of campaigns. In response to the vote, Citizens for
Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) Executive Director
Melanie Sloan issued the following statement:

"Instead of spending its precious legislative time on dismantling
the presidential financing system, the House should be working on
legislation that would undo the disastrous Citizens United case. More than four billion dollars was spent on the 2010 election, much of it to elect the very members of the 112th
Congress who cast this vote. As a result, I am disappointed - but not
surprised - that they would choose to put even more special interest
money into our elections. We need real campaign finance reform that
allows elections to be won by the candidate with the best ideas, not the
biggest donors."

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting ethics and accountability in government and public life by targeting government officials -- regardless of party affiliation -- who sacrifice the common good to special interests. CREW advances its mission using a combination of research, litigation and media outreach.