WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced the No PAC Act. The bill would amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit members of Congress and those running for a U.S. House or Senate seat from accepting contributions from a political action committee, other than that of the given candidate. It would also prohibit the establishment of leadership PACs.
“There is a constant tug of war in Washington between the will of the people and the demands of special interests,” said Rep. Phillips. “Minnesotans tell me all the time that Congress needs to get to work restoring their trust in our government – and ending the corrupting influence of PACs would be a huge step in that direction. Trust is earned, and as long as special interests can continue to buy influence with PAC money we’re going to continue losing the faith of the people – to the detriment of our nation and our world.”
“We have to get back to a level playing field in politics,” said Rep. Khanna. “This bill is an important step toward stopping the influence of wealthy special interests in our political system. By limiting how much wealthy donors can give to candidates, every American voter will get a stronger voice in our democracy. We have to prove that our political process isn’t for sale.”
Rep. Phillips has never accepted any contributions from PACs of any kind.
Rep. Khanna was among just six members of the House of Representatives who did not accept contributions from PACs during the 2016 election. He was also the only member to not accept leadership PAC contributions that cycle.
According to Federal Election Commission data provided by OpenSecrets.org, in the 2017-2018 election cycle, PACs contributed more than $514.1 million to congressional candidates. That is an increase of $35 million over the 2015-2016 cycle. OpenSecrets.org also reported that PAC money accounted for 33.3 percent of campaign funds for House Democrats, 40.1 percent for House Republicans, 11.6 percent for Senate Democrats, and 26.4 percent for Senate Republicans last election cycle.
Read the legislation online here.