Bennet Effort to Combat Dark Money Blocked by Senate Republicans

Press Release

Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet voted to advance the DISCLOSE Act, which would combat dark money in elections and improve transparency and accountability in campaign spending. The bill failed to proceed after Senate Republicans blocked it.

"The Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United has flooded our politics with dark money, allowing a handful of billionaires to hide behind shadowy, third party groups as they seek to bend American politics in their direction," said Bennet. "The late Justice Scalia understood that "requiring people to stand up in public for their political acts fosters civic courage, without which democracy is doomed.' The DISCLOSE Act would strengthen our democracy by bringing much-needed transparency and accountability to campaign spending. I cannot understand why Senate Republicans blocked this common-sense proposal overwhelmingly supported by people across Colorado and the country."

"Sen. Bennet has been a long-time leader fighting corruption and special interest influence in Washington," said Tiffany Muller, President of End Citizens United & Let America Vote Action Fund. "We applaud his vote for the DISCLOSE Act to end dark money and increase transparency in our elections."

Since the Supreme Court's 2010 decision in Citizens United, secret spending from outside groups in our elections has exploded. This dark money spending has increased from less than $5 million in the 2006 election cycle to more than $300 million in 2012 to over $1 billion in 2020.

Specifically, this bill will:

Strengthen prohibitions against foreign actors participating in election spending in the United States, including in state and local referenda;
Prohibit foreign actors from establishing shell corporations to conceal election contributions and donations;
Require super PACs, 501(c) "dark money" groups, corporations, and other organizations spending more than $10,000 in elections and on judicial nominations to promptly disclose donors who contribute more than $10,000;
Shut down the use of transfers between organizations to cloak the identity of the source contributor;
Expand "stand by your ad" disclosure requirements requiring corporations, unions, and other organizations to identify those behind political ads--including disclosing an organization's top five funders at the end of television ads.

Source