FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 22, 2022
Contact: Linda Zhang, lzhang@mrss.com
Declaration for American Democracy Statement on Failure of Senate to Advance Debate on the DISCLOSE Act
Washington, DC — Today, the Declaration for American Democracy — a coalition of over 250+ organizations from the labor, racial justice, voting rights, faith, environmental, women’s rights, good government, and many other important communities representing tens of millions of Americans — released the following statement in response to the failure of the Senate to proceed with debate on the DISCLOSE Act:
“The gall of senators who blocked even moving forward with debate on secret money and the DISCLOSE Act is a slap in the face to our democratic ideals and should leave every American deeply concerned. Without legislation like the DISCLOSE Act shining a light on secret financial donations, corporations, billionaires, and foreign interests that are seeking to influence our elections will continue to have free rein to continue their anonymous spending,” said Christine Wood, Co-Director for the Declaration for American Democracy.
“It bears repeating that secret money from right wing extremists was used to organize and promote the pre-Jan. 6 rally. Without required disclosure of political spending, we may never get a full picture of who was behind these efforts to undermine the will of the people.
“Americans want action on climate change, gun reform, and access to healthcare — but secret money stands in the way of real progress on these and a host of other critical issues.
“Absent meaningful action from Congress, it’s now up to the Biden Administration to take the needed steps to protect and strengthen our democracy and rebuild public trust in our government. With the stroke of his pen, President Biden can sign executive orders to help shine a light on secret money spending by contractors that receive federal dollars, and ensure transparency so that voters understand who’s trying to influence our politics. Our coalition — and the tens of millions of Americans our member organizations represent — look forward to working with the Administration to make these executive actions a reality as we continue on the path towards democratic renewal.”
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The Declaration for American Democracy is a coalition of over 250+ organizations from the labor, racial justice, voting rights, faith, environmental, women’s rights, good government, and many other important communities, representing tens of millions of Americans.
