Pelosi Statement on the Sixth Anniversary of the Citizens United Decision

Contact: Drew Hammill/Evangeline George, 202-226-7616

San Francisco – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today to mark the sixth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC:

“Our founders pledged their lives, their liberty and their sacred honor to establish a government of the many, not a government of the money.  Six years ago, the Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United decision struck at the heart of this principle, and opened the floodgates to a tidal wave of special interest spending in our elections.

“We must reclaim our democracy from the secret spending of the special interests.  In 2010, the Democratic House passed the DISCLOSE Act to restore transparency to our campaign finance system – only to be blocked by Republicans in the Senate.  We must continue to press the special interests to disclose the extent of their spending in our elections, both with legislation and executive action.

“On this anniversary, we rededicate ourselves to ensuring the pocketbooks of the privileged few do not drown out the voices of hard-working American families.  We must require the special interests to disclose the dollars they are spending in our elections.  We must overturn Citizens United.  We must reform our campaign finance system.  And we must empower all Americans to make their voices and their votes heard in the future of their communities and our country.”

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