Congressman Dan Goldman Fights to Curb Influence of Corporate Money in Government

‘We The People Amendment’ Would Overturn Disastrous Citizens United Decision That Has Allowed Unrestricted Flow of Special Interest Money in Elections

Amendment Would Scale Back Historic Levels of Campaign Spending, Increase Influence of Every Day Americans

Read the Amendment Here

Washington D.C. – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) to cosponsor the ‘We The People Amendment’, a Constitutional Amendment that would end corporate personhood, reverse the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision, and take power away from corporations and special interests and put it back into the hands of the people.

“In the decade following the 2013 Citizens United decision, American elections have been corrupted by the influence of unaccountable corporate spending that subverts the voice of everyday Americans and makes our democracy fundamentally unequal,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “The principle of ‘one person one vote’ cannot hold when corporations can donate unlimited amounts of money to political causes without transparency. This vital amendment will restore trust in our political system and limit the sway that corporations and lobbyists have held over our political actors for far too long.”

The We the People Amendment would overturn the Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court ruling and it’s equating of corporate political donations with speech that has allowed unrestrained campaign spending and dark money to corrupt American democracy. Additionally, the Amendment mandates that federal, state, and local governments require that all political contributions and expenditures be publicly disclosed.

In the election cycle immediately following the 2010 Citizens United decision, independent spending increased by more than 600 percent compared to the previous election cycle.

More recently, the 2022 and 2020 elections cycles were the most expensive in American history, with $8.9 billion and $14 billion dollars respectively spent in congressional elections across the country.

Throughout his first term, Congressman Goldman has committed himself to protecting democracy and strengthening the electoral process.

As his first bill in Congress, Goldman introduced the ‘Early Voting Act,’ which would require at least a 14-day window of in-person early voting for federal elections across the country. The bill would also require that election officials maximize polling place accessibility and would take steps to address unacceptably long wait-times forvoters in line to cast their ballots and for election results by mandating that election officials start processing and scanning ballots at least 14 days prior to Election Day.

Additionally, the Congressman has also cosponsored of the ‘Protecting Our Democracy Act’ to prevent executive abuses of power, restore our checks and balances, and protect the electoral process.

Congressman Goldman is a member of the House Task Force on Strengthening Democracy.

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