Provision Tucked In Spending Bill Blows Up Campaign Finance Limits

Las Vegas Sands Corp. CEO Sheldon Adelson speaks at the Global Gaming Expo, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
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At about the very end of the omnibus bill meant to prevent a government shutdown there’s a provision tweaking campaign finance laws that lets politicians ask for even larger donations from the wealthiest American donors.

On page 1,599, as The Huffington Post flagged, there’s a provision that creates a trio of funds within the Republican National Committee and its counterpart, the Democratic National Committee.

In each fund, one donor could give as much as $97,200 per year to three separate funds within the committees. That means, if the provision does become law, just one donor could give to all three funds plus current donation caps for a total of $324,000 in one year (or twice that much in a two-year election cycle). This means that the new provision would allow for ten times the amount of spending currently allowed, according to the Washington Post.

The provision’s change would essentially gut the campaign finance contribution cap established in the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law in 2002. That law limits a donor’s giving to a national committee to just $32,400 each year in addition to the $32,400 annual donation to another fund that can only be used in a recount situation.

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  1. Then someone should start the petition on the WH website to beg Obama to veto this. Oh, that’s right…to late…11th hour…no way to be heard.

    All this provision does is give the plutocrats the opportunity to spend more to influence the parties DIRECTLY as opposed to having to go through the indirect routes afforded by PACs, etc. Your $50’s already meager influence on policy was just reduced by a factor of hundreds. It only increases their influence over both parties’ policies and further tips the scale against the middle-class. What a fucking joke and an atrocity. If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.

  2. Avatar for jinnj jinnj says:

    as we move ever closer to a mega-billionaire just flat out functionally acquiring a state - my guess will be Kansas - at a bankruptcy sale …

  3. Avatar for condew condew says:

    Rich people increasing the influence of rich people yet again. What worries me is that this is becoming so common that soon it won’t even be considered newsworthy.

  4. At lease these contributions are public record. I guess unless the S.Ct. declares that people are 501©(4) groups.

  5. While Campaign Finance is a hot topic, and this travesty needs to be addressed, how about a more complete breakdown of the spending bill? This is a politics and policy website right?

    • The provision to allow multi-employer pensions to cut benefits for already retired workers?
    • Provision to change Dodd-Frank to allow banks to keep their swap/derivative trading units within the “bank” structure with FDIC insurance backstopping their losses?
    • Provisions preventing the Interior from placing 2 species of grouse on the Endangered Species list (which was preventing further oil and gas exploration) and prohibiting funding for the DOE light bulb efficiency program?
    • Defense provision that prohibits the closing of Guantanamo Bay?

    Will any of this change via the Senate vote? I doubt it. But it would be nice to have national conversations on this…

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