Fourteen years ago this month, in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court issued the worst legal opinion in American history, one that was clearly flawed. poll Consistently, Americans across the vast political divide have shown broad agreement that this policy should be reversed. Since then, the name of the case has been linked to the deterioration of American democracy and the growing influence of a small number of powerful billionaires who can secretly spend unlimited funds bending the government to their will rather than the public interest. It became an abbreviation for the corrosive influence of the wealthy and corporate interests. This infamous case is also known by the name of the right-wing slush fund “Nonprofits” that brought it to court. citizens united.
That's why I tuned in just before Christmas to watch the House Ways and Means Subcommittee oversight hearing. The influence of nonprofit organizations on American politics, I expected the topic of how best to fix Citizens United's flawed decision to be at the center of witness testimony and questions from lawmakers. In fact, I was perplexed to hear that subcommittee Chairman David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) did not even mention Citizens United during his speech. opening statement. In fact, the only statement Mr. Schweikert made acknowledging the existence of Citizens United was a comment from Rep. Bill Pascrell (DN. It answered the question of J. Schweikert reacted as if it were a question he had barely thought of, giving Pascrell a signal that Schweikert was “not that sure.”
This blindfolded approach to Citizens United paid off in an unfortunately partisan hearing that awkwardly avoided addressing real issues. The hearing featured Stewart Whitson, legal director of the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA), a slush fund tax-exempt nonprofit based in Naples, Florida, as the lead witness. Mr Whitson wrote to Parliament where he explained the FGA. testimony As a “nonpartisan nonprofit organization,” the FGA appears to make no secret of its right-wing ties elsewhere. Website This article features Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' speech at the FGA conference and enthusiastic support from Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), former House Freedom Caucus chairman. There is.
Mr. Whitson declined to discuss his organization's funding during the Congressional hearing, but an independent investigation into the FGA's funding found that the FGA's largest known source of funding was a right-wing Illinois billionaire. Election Denier Richard Willeenwhose foundation provided F.G.A. $17.6 million since 2014. Although the FGA itself has not disclosed the source of its funding, an examination of other organizations' tax returns has revealed it. Other right-wing fundersCharles Koch Foundation, Adolph Coors Foundation, Scaife Foundation, etc. leonard leo's The dark web of shadowy beings.
Understood in this context, the FGA's testimony and that of similar witnesses from the right-wing Capital Research Center make it clear that corporate financiers and right-wing billionaires are pouring their wealth into making America's democracy their own. Perhaps it is not surprising that there has been no focus on the corrosive effects of appropriation to serve the public. , but about the alleged evil done to democracy by voter registration efforts that increased voter participation in recent elections. The big wrong highlighted in the FGA's testimony was the effort to increase federal funding for nonprofits. “Promote voter registration and encourage voter participation.” By 2021 under President Biden Executive Order Promoting Voting Access.Same goes for Capital Research Center's testimony. He attacked charities that “register millions of people to vote.” These witnesses never explained why Increasing the number of votes in American elections is not a problem at all. Do they fear that the more ordinary Americans participate in elections and democracy, the less influence right-wing billionaires and corporate donors will have?
In addition to ignoring the Citizens United resolution and reinforcing bizarre right-wing attacks on voter registration, this oversight hearing was disappointing for another reason. There are real and urgent problems that have stifled nonpartisan public participation for years, and Congress should recognize them and focus on solving them. Unclear boundaries surrounding the definition of political activity From a tax perspective, it leads to misplaced concerns about nonprofits that perform legitimate and important civic engagement activities such as voter registration.House Revenue Republican Majority request information The report, published in August 2023, asked whether we needed updated guidance on how to define political activity, and the answer is a resounding yes. There is a growing bipartisan consensus that clearer rules for all nonprofits will increase bipartisan public participation, ease enforcement, encourage compliance, and make it harder to abuse the system. It seems like there is. This would be a far more productive way for Congress to spend its time in this area in the coming months, instead of allowing bizarre attacks on voter registration efforts.
As we mark the infamous anniversary of Citizens United, in the critical year ahead, Congressional hearings that will actually fix elections, strengthen democracy, and shine a light on the deluge of slush money that hit the American government. Let's focus our energy on action. election. In addition to clarifying the rules for nonprofits to participate in nonpartisan civic engagement, freedom to vote act Improving voting access for all Americans by establishing automatic online voter registration, encouraging voting by making Election Day a national democracy holiday, and requiring organizations that spend money on elections to disclose their donors. By mandating that the identity of donors of confidential funds be revealed, it also enacts a series of other common sense rules. reform. If Congress takes action to send the Voting Freedom Act to the President in 2024, rather than wasting time on more pointless partisan hearings, we will once again solemnly celebrate Citizens United Day this time next year. Instead, we could celebrate a healthier democracy.
John Gollinger is a public citizen democracy advocate.
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