WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 26, 2025 — Today, on the anniversary of the SpeechNow.org v. FEC D.C. Circuit Court decision, Congresswoman Summer Lee (PA-12), Congressman Ro Khanna (CA-17), Congressman James P. McGovern (MA-02),  Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), along with Representatives Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Chris Deluzio (PA-17), and Delia Ramirez (IL-03), introduced the Abolish Super PACs Act, legislation that seeks to put an end to super PACs in federal elections. The bill would place a $5,000 per calendar year limit on contributions to super PACs, effectively abolishing them. 

At a press conference earlier today, Reps. Lee and Khanna unveiled the bill and were joined by John Bonifaz, President of Free Speech For People, Lawrence Lessig, Founder of EqualCitizens.US and Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School, Aquib Yacoob, Chief of Staff of Women’s March, and Lauren Maunus, Advocacy Director of IfNotNow Movement.

Billionaires, corporations, and other wealthy interests are currently able to make unlimited contributions to “super PACs” that are not controlled by candidates or political parties, even when they spend money to support or oppose specific candidates. These unlimited contributions to super PACs in federal elections often rise to the level of millions of dollars, presenting the threat of corruption in the political process and staggering influence by the ultra-wealthy.

Learn more at: AbolishingSuperPACs.org

“Campaign finance reform is long overdue. We’re seeing the effects of money in politics destroy our democracy at this very moment because billionaires have been allowed to buy their way into our politics and influence the outcome of our elections. This must end,” said Rep. Summer Lee. “The Abolish Super PACs Act is one step towards putting the power back in the hands of the people and dismantling the oligarchy our country is careening to. Campaign finance reform starts with Congress passing this legislation, and I am grateful to my colleagues and our advocates in the movement for their support of this critical bill.”

“The American people are sick of the corruption and influence of money in politics. Our democracy shouldn’t be for sale. That’s why I don’t take a dime of PAC money. Abolishing Super PACs is a step toward giving everyone a voice — not just the ultra-wealthy. I’m proud to join Rep. Summer Lee to introduce this legislation to ban Super PACs. I’m grateful for Larry Lessig’s scholarship and voice on this issue,” said Rep. Ro Khanna.

“A lack of limits on contributions to Super PACs allows corruption and dark money to run rampant in U.S. elections. It makes us more vulnerable to foreign interference. And it contributes to billionaire nepo baby Elon Musk being able to buy his way into our government and make a mockery of it. The time is now to stop the undue influence of dark money and special interests in our elections,” said Rep. James P. McGovern. “Our elected leaders should be chosen by the people with the strongest voices, not the billionaires with the deepest pockets. We can’t let the people who want to destroy our democracy keep getting away with this. The Abolish Super PACs Act would stop the out of control flow of unlimited money into our elections and return the power back to the people.”

“Our democracy should be of the people, by the people, and for the people – not for sale to the highest bidder,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal. “In every cycle since the disastrous Citizens United and SpeechNow.org decisions, we have seen more and more special interest dark money poured into campaigns across the country – this year, with a billionaire paying millions to buy a seat as Shadow President. I’m proud to co-lead Rep. Lee’s Abolish Super PACs Act to cap contribution limits and ensure that our government isn’t beholden to donors.”

“Our system is corrupt. Super PACs spent a record-breaking $1 billion in dark money this past election cycle. When billionaires and special interest groups continue buying our elections, including seats in Congress, politicians will continue to be accountable to the needs of the rich and powerful instead of the people,” said Rep. Rashida Tlaib. “This is not democracy. It’s oligarchy. We need to pass the Abolish Super PACs Act and overturn Citizens United.”

The Supreme Court has long held that limits on contributions impose only a “marginal restriction” on free speech, and that states have a right to limit contributions to prevent the risk of quid pro quo corruption and the appearance of corruption. However, a wrongly decided 2010 DC Circuit Court of Appeals decision in SpeechNow v. FEC struck down contribution limits to political action committees engaged in making independent expenditures.

The appeals court said that because the Supreme Court ruled in Citizens United v. FEC that independent expenditures did not pose a risk of corruption, unlimited contributions to independent expenditure PACs could not pose a risk of corruption either. But the decision overlooked (1) the Supreme Court’s longstanding practice of distinguishing between contributions and expenditures and holding expenditures to a heightened level of scrutiny; and (2) the fact that even if anti-coordination laws prevent candidates and super PACs from reaching quid pro quo agreements, those same laws do not stop candidates and super PAC contributors from agreeing to a quid pro quo arrangement that involve funneling bribes through super PACs. 

This federal bill would be in line with the Supreme Court’s precedent upholding contribution limits, rather than the dubious SpeechNow decision of the federal appeals court.

The Abolish Super PACs Act is endorsed by Common Defense, Court Accountability, Dream Defenders, End Citizens United, Equal Citizens, Free Speech For People, Gen-Z for Change, Grassroots Global Justice Action Fund, IfNotNow Movement, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, Justice is Global Action, Move to Amend, MPower Change Action Fund, National Iranian American Council Action, Our Revolution, Peace Action, RepresentUs, RootsAction, Rural Organizing, Sunrise Movement, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action, and Women’s March.

“We applaud Congresswoman Lee for championing this critical legislation to abolish super PACs,” said John Bonifaz, a constitutional attorney and the president of Free Speech For People. “In the fifteen years since the SpeechNow ruling created super PACs, we have witnessed the way in which billionaires and other wealthy interests use super PACs to corrupt the political process. This legislation would prevent that rampant corruption and would help protect our democracy.  We strongly support this bill.”

“The broligarchs that own the Trump administration – and bankroll extremist politicians across the country – have used super PACs to buy elections and drown out the voices of everyday people for far too long,” said Rachel O’Leary Carmona, Executive Director of Women’s March. “This administration and its billionaire backers have made unilateral decisions that affect the health and safety of all Americans, and have attacked our rights, freedoms, and Constitution in the process. The Abolish Super PACs Act is a crucial step toward reclaiming our democracy and dismantling systems that allow billionaires and corporations to control our elections. Our government should serve the people, not the highest bidder.”

“Super PACs are one of the most corrosive and corrupting forces in our democracy,” said End Citizens United Action Fund President Tiffany Muller. “They have become tools for billionaires and corporate special interests to buy elections and shape policy to serve their interests. It’s why more and more Americans don’t believe they have a voice in Washington and that the government doesn’t work in their interest. The Abolish Super PACs Act is a commonsense step toward rooting out corruption and restoring trust in government. We’re grateful for Representatives Lee and Khanna’s continued leadership and advocacy to ensure our government works for everyone––not just the wealthy.”

“Corrupt billionaires like Elon Musk should never have been allowed to buy our government,” said Alex Aronson, Executive Director of Court Accountability. “But in the wake of the Roberts Court’s disastrous Citizens United decision, that’s exactly what the system of big-money super PACs has produced. It doesn’t have to be this way. The American people deserve a government that works for them, not for whichever oligarch cuts the biggest checks. We applaud Rep. Lee and her colleagues for introducing this crucial legislation to fight for a democracy that belongs to all of us, not to the highest bidder.”

“For 15 years, most lawyers have assumed that Madison’s First Amendment requires SuperPACs. It does not, and our urgent need now is to end this perversion of American democracy, and secure a democracy ‘dependent,’ as Madison promised, ‘on the people alone.’” – Lawrence Lessig, Founder of EqualCitizens.US; Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership, Harvard Law School

“The corruption and incompetence of the Musk-Trump administration will destroy rural communities, and it is the direct result of Super PACs. The introduction of this legislation to limit the influence of Super PACs is a bold and inspiring step, and is essential to rebuilding rural America. This is about returning power to the people and reaffirming that our democracy belongs to all of us, not just the wealthiest few. RuralOrganizing.org is proud to endorse this effort and we are calling on Congress to join Representatives Lee and Khanna in defending the voice of working class Americans by supporting this legislation.” – Dom Holmes, RuralOrganizing.org

“Corporate Super PACs are a key tool of billionaires and oligarchs to buy and influence elections and to take power out of the hands of voters,” said Jewish Voice for Peace Action Political Director Beth Miller. “Super PACs like AIPAC’s United Democracy Project spent eye-popping sums of money during the last cycle to oust progressives as punishment for reflecting popular and widespread voter sentiment in support of Palestinian rights. If we want to build a truly representative democracy that supports our communities and values justice and human rights, we must get rid of these inherently anti-democratic institutions.”

“The 2010 federal appeals court ruling in SpeechNow.org v. FEC  effectively legalized corruption in our electoral processes. As a collective of Gen-Z organizers, we demand a future in which our representatives prioritize the needs of their constituents over the desires of power-hungry corporations and wealthy elites. The introduction of the Abolish SuperPACs Act is an excellent first step in restoring accountability and faith in our democracy.” – Gen-Z for Change

“Allowing Super PACs is like handing billionaires and special interests a private broadcast tower to drown out democracy’s signal. At a time when rapidly spreading authoritarianism threatens the foundations of our republic, letting big money hijack the electoral airwaves becomes even more dangerous. The Abolish Super PACs Act is a chance to pull the plug and tune back into the voice of the people.” -Jon Rainwater, Executive Director at Peace Action

“For far too long, elected officials have prioritized billionaires’ profit over the people. We’ve watched firsthand as Corporate Super PACs have corrupted our political system, sidelining the issues that matter most. As just one example, AIPAC has bullied elected officials into violating human rights over and over, despite increasing public support for the Palestinian people’s struggle. This bill allows us to finally place limitations on these Corporate Super PACs and force electeds to represent the people.” -Ahmad Abuznaid, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action (USCPR Action) Executive Director

“It is past time to abolish Super PACs and end their corrosive influence on our wounded democracy,” said Sam Rosenthal, Political Director of RootsAction. “Super PACs have backed working people in the U.S. into a corner. We are subjected to rule by increasingly unpopular politicians whose candidacies are propped up by a handful of ultrawealthy donors and their dark money. RootsAction is proud to support this brave effort by Representatives Lee and Khanna to end this stain on our political process once and for all.”

“The Abolish Super PACs Act is a vital strike against the corrosive flood of unchecked money in our elections. By capping contributions and dismantling the super PAC machine unleashed by SpeechNow.org, Rep. Summer Lee’s bill confronts the reality that unlimited spending drowns out everyday voters and hands our democracy to the highest bidders. It’s a bold step toward a government of, by, and for the people—not the wealthiest few.” – Naveed Shah, Political Director at Common Defense

“We need billionaires and corporate interests out of our politics. Big Oil, AIPAC, and the crypto lobby should not be able to pour millions of dollars into elections to override the will of the people,” said IfNotNow Movement political director Lauren Maunus. “We demand that Members of Congress take the power away from Super PACs and return it to the people.”

“For far too long, corporate super PACs and billionaires have trampled over the rights of voters and working families in attempts to influence and buy our elections,” said MPower Change Action Fund Legislative and Political Director Yasmine Taeb. “Super PACs such as AIPAC’s United Democracy Project spent millions of dollars against progressive working class Members of Congress who have been advocating for Palestinian rights. As the largest Muslim digital organization in the U.S. with more than half a million members nationwide, we applaud Congresswoman Summer Lee and Congressman Ro Khanna’s leadership in introducing The Abolish Super PACs Act and urge Congress to pass it without delay.”

“Whether it’s raising the minimum wage, providing quality healthcare to all, or stopping the climate crisis — billionaires and their lobbyists have weaponized dark money SuperPACs to stop critical policies, said Sunrise Movement Executive Director Aru Shiney-Ajay. “They’ve rigged the game so they can veto any policy that would hurt their bottom line. We must end this corrupting influence so we have a democracy that is truly by and for the people.”

“The need to get big money out of politics has never been more clear and urgent. By capping contributions to Super PACs, Rep. Summer Lee’s Abolish Super PACs Act would stop billionaires and corporations from flooding our elections with money, and put power back in the hands of everyday working people.” – Maurice Mitchell, National Director of the Working Families Party.

A copy of the bill text can be found here, and a one-pager can be found here.

Footage from the press conference can be found here, and photos can be found here.