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Today, in response to the Trump administration’s extraordinary refusal to defend a longstanding federal election law against attacks by national Republicans, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), Democratic National Committee (DNC), and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) stepped up to seek to defend contribution limits that prevent corruption in federal elections. The three committees filed a motion asking the Supreme Court to allow them to defend the federal election law which sets limits on coordinated party expenditures. The Republican Party has asked the Court to eliminate coordinated party expenditure limits altogether. In short, national Democrats are taking a stand for the American people before the nation’s highest court when the Trump administration is refusing to do so.
Until last week, the FEC and the Department of Justice have faithfully defended federal campaign finance law, including these specific limits, for decades. The DCCC, DNC, and DSCC are being forced to take this action because Trump’s DOJ has now reversed course, taking advantage of a quorum-less FEC and refusing to defend the limits, Republicans have an open door to drastically change how campaigns are funded, disempowering grassroots donors and placing even more power in the hands of billionaires.
DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene, DNC Chair Ken Martin, and DSCC Chair Kirsten Gillibrand released the following statement:
“Republican corruption knows no bounds. Trump’s DOJ, in coordination with national Republicans, is attempting to allow billionaires to exert even more control over our elections than they already do. Republicans know they are poised to lose in the 2026 elections because their grassroots support is drying up across the country, forcing them to rely on a few far-right billionaires to fund their unpopular candidates. The people should have the loudest voice in our democracy. Democrats won’t stand by and let Republicans pave the way for the ultra-wealthy to rig our democracy. That’s why the DCCC, DNC, and DSCC filed this motion to intervene to protect America’s campaign finance laws. If the United States government won’t defend the law, Democrats will do it for them.”
This is not the first time that Republicans have challenged these limits. Twenty-five years ago, in Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee v. FEC, the Supreme Court upheld these limits as properly tailored to limit quid pro quo corruption in our politics. Unsatisfied, Republicans have continued to fight this precedent and have lost at every turn.
To view the full motion, click HERE.
Summary of Republicans’ blatant attempt to give billionaires more electoral influence:
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The Republican Party has spent decades trying to eliminate reasonable limits on political party expenditures that are coordinated with candidates’ campaigns.
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To date, those efforts have failed at every turn, and settled law has been respected as settled law, ensuring a stable, predictable campaign finance regulatory structure for party committees and political candidates across the country.
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Two weeks ago, that equilibrium was severely disrupted. With the FEC lacking a quorum, Trump’s DOJ abandoned the U.S. Government’s long-held defense of the challenged statute and took the side of the NRSC and NRCC in urging the Supreme Court to blow open the cap on the amount of money that donors can funnel to candidates through party committees’ coordinated expenditures.
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Now the DCCC, DNC, and DSCC are stepping in and urging the Supreme Court to stop this blatant power grab. Billionaires should not be given more power to buy elections that belong to the people.
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National Democrats are urging the Supreme Court to reject this challenge and if they won’t, allow Democrats to be participants in this case.
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Free and fair elections are at stake. Democrats will never stop fighting to defend everybody’s right to a democracy free from political corruption.
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