December, 10 2014, 11:30am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Susan Lehman, (212) 998-6318,Jeanine Plant-Chirlin, (212) 998-6289 or (646) 265-7721
Congress' Spending Bill Further Empowers Wealthy Donors
Congressional negotiators reached a deal last night on an omnibus spending bill to close the 113th Congress. A provision will increase the maximum legal contribution an individual can give to all three national party committees combined to more than $1.5 million per two-year election cycle.
NEW YORK
Congressional negotiators reached a deal last night on an omnibus spending bill to close the 113th Congress. A provision will increase the maximum legal contribution an individual can give to all three national party committees combined to more than $1.5 million per two-year election cycle. The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law issued the following statement on behalf of Lawrence Norden, deputy director of its Democracy Program, decrying radical changes to campaign finance law made without public discussion:
"Congress should act to reform campaign finance law, through a public debate with an eye toward increasing the electoral participation of ordinary citizens. Instead, they agreed on changes at themidnight hour increasing the power of a few wealthy people to exert outsize control over our elections and political parties. This raises the suspicion that politicians are trying to manipulate the campaign finance system for their own benefit, which will serve only to decrease average citizens' participation in our electoral process."
The Brennan Center for Justice is a nonpartisan law and policy institute. We strive to uphold the values of democracy. We stand for equal justice and the rule of law. We work to craft and advance reforms that will make American democracy work, for all.
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