[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 27, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H390]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              SUPREME COURT'S DECISION ON CAMPAIGN FINANCE

  (Mr. YARMUTH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, among all of the potentially disastrous 
consequences of last week's Supreme Court decision on campaign finance, 
one of them is a really cruel irony. Those of us who think we need 
public financing of Federal campaigns may now watch as taxpayer dollars 
actually are used for Federal campaigns.
  AIG, which this Congress and our taxpayers bailed out to the tune of 
$180 billion, may now be able to spend our money, your money, to 
actually influence Federal elections.
  Not only that. We passed the Wall Street Reform and Consumer 
Protection Act to regulate Wall Street, finally, after they brought us 
to the brink of disaster. We spent a lot of money doing that, taxpayer 
dollars.
  The companies that were saved by those dollars can now directly 
advocate for the election or defeat of candidates for Federal office.
  This is a disgrace. And, unfortunately, we still haven't acted 
sufficiently to put an end to the risky behavior of Wall Street. I hope 
the Senate will act and we can sign the Wall Street Reform and Consumer 
Protection Act into law before the Supreme Court destroys the country.

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