Press Release

Before the Supreme Court issued its decision in Citizens United ten years ago, Congress had set reasonable limits on individuals’ ability to influence federal elections through campaign contributions, the product of a historic, bipartisan compromise led by Senators John McCain and Russ Feingold.  Over the past decade, however, the Citizens United ruling has upended federal elections by allowing unlimited and undisclosed donations to organizations seeking to sway voters’ views on candidates and causes, often through misinformation.

Any American knows that a trial without hearing from key witnesses and seeing critical evidence is a sham. Sen. McConnell’s efforts to turn the impeachment trial into a kangaroo court for a hurried acquittal run counter to our Constitution and the oath senators swore on Thursday to ‘do impartial justice.’

As we observe the first Martin Luther King Day of a new decade, let us look to Dr. King’s teachings and legacy of moral courage for inspiration as we seek to turn the page from a time of division into one of greater unity, respect, and love of neighbor.  Dr. King asked his fellow Americans to harness what he called the ‘drum major instinct’ – that we should rein in that basic human urge for attention, which too often leads us to seek it in the wrong ways, and apply it instead toward gaining attention for our good works, public service, and acts of love and kindness. 

Economy Weekly: Week of January 13, 2020

I’m glad that the President is finally signing a major disaster declaration requested by Governor Vazquez, but it should not have taken this long.  Puerto Rico was rocked by damaging earthquakes more than a week ago. 

Today, the government’s independent watchdog agency, the Government Accountability Office, confirmed that President Trump violated the law when it withheld Congressionally appropriated military aid to Ukraine. 

Congress appropriated emergency disaster aid for the people of Puerto Rico, and it is up to the President to ensure that this aid reaches the those who need it – not to sit on it and refuse to disburse that aid to Puerto Ricans.  After a serious of terrible disasters, including two major hurricanes and a series of earthquakes, Puerto Ricans are trying to rebuild their homes, communities, and lives. 

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) announced Wednesday afternoon that the week the House returns from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. District Work Period, it will consider bills introduced by Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) to repeal the 2002 Congressional authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) against Iraq and prevent taxpayer funding from being used to take military action against Iran without congressional authorization, respectively.  On January 9, in a bipartisan vote, the House passed a resolution demanding that President Trump terminate the use of U.S. Armed Forces to engage in hostilities against Iran without Congressional authorization.