[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 21, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S4880]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              DISCLOSE Act

  Mr. President, now on DISCLOSE. In the 12 years since conservatives 
on the Supreme Court ruled in Citizens United, our elections have been 
become rank--rank--with the stench of dark money.
  Soon, the Senate will vote to erase this foulness when we hold the 
first procedural vote to take up the DISCLOSE Act. This has been a long 
time coming, and credit goes to Senator Whitehouse, perhaps the 
Senate's most valiant enemy of dark money. I commend him; I thank him; 
and I stand with him in his efforts to shine a light on the corrosive 
power of dark money in our elections. No one has done more to shine the 
light on this evil, evil thing.
  In free and fair elections--one person, one vote--American voters 
alone should have the power to determine the Nation's leaders without 
fear that their voices will be drowned out by powerful elites or 
special interests.

  Sadly, unfortunately, dark money has rendered this ideal a fantasy. 
The idea of one person, one vote has been washed away by cascades of 
dark, undisclosed money pouring into our electoral system. Today, the 
average American--someone who might chip in $30 or $50 every now and 
then to support a candidate--is left practically powerless against 
billionaires and special interests who can cut million-dollar checks to 
promote candidates of their choice. Who here thinks that is a healthy 
democracy?
  Because of today's broken campaign finance laws, many of these 
donations happen entirely in secret. It is a veil cast over our 
democracy that leaves vast majorities of voters behind.
  And the problem is not just limited to our elections. Oh, no. Dark 
money has also corroded the judicial nomination process, as special 
interest groups spend tens of millions to push extremist judges onto 
the Federal Bench.
  I believe that the awful decision in Dobbs was greatly affected by 
the fact that dark money is undisclosed.
  The DISCLOSE Act operates off a simple premise: A healthy democracy 
is a transparent democracy, one where billionaires and mega-
corporations don't get a free pass to exploit loopholes in campaign 
finance law in order to spend billions in anonymous contributions. That 
is the antithesis of democracy.
  This shouldn't be a Democratic or a Republican view. After all, when 
was the last time any of us heard voters celebrate the spread of dark 
money? When was the last time any of us heard voters say it is better 
for billionaires and special interests to buy elections in secret 
rather than be held accountable to the public?
  Of course the public doesn't think that, unless they themselves--a 
few, few--are cutting million-dollar checks in secret.
  Even the Republican leader, who has dedicated much of his career to 
killing many campaign reforms, used to say in the distant past that 
disclosure and transparency are good things for elections. 
Unfortunately, that was a long time ago, and now all we hear from the 
other side are the absurd--and these are truly absurd--arguments that 
transparency somehow equates to suppressing freedom of elections. Tying 
logic and fairness into a pretzel knot to say that transparency is like 
suppressing freedom of expression is absurd. Imagine. Imagine this. 
Imagine being on the side of millionaires and billionaires who would no 
longer have the luxury of influencing our elections by cutting million-
dollar checks in total anonymity. What a tragedy. Isn't that a shame? 
These poor billionaires and millionaires might have to disclose what 
they are doing.
  Of course, of course, imagining being on the side of those 
millionaires and billionaires is ridiculous. If a multibillionaire 
wants to spend colossal sums on candidates who are deeply anti-choice 
or who support insurrectionists--which some of these dark money, 
special interest, MAGA Republicans do--shouldn't the public have a 
right at least to know, simply to know it?
  If someone wants to come here on the floor and argue otherwise, God 
help our democracy.
  Louis Brandeis said over a century ago that sunlight is the best of 
disinfectants. The DISCLOSE Act would put that into practice.
  So if you agree that the American people have a right to know who is 
trying to influence their elections, support the DISCLOSE Act. If you 
agree that America's representatives should only have one boss, the 
people, and not special interests, then support the DISCLOSE Act.
  Democracy cannot prosper without transparency. Dark money, hidden 
secrets are the hallmark of dictatorships, left and right. We, in 
democracy, need transparency.
  I thank Senator Whitehouse for all he has done. I strongly support 
passing this legislation to keep the dream of our Founders alive--
alive--in this century.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.