Secret money in politics is bad for democracy, but yet again, the appropriations bill has 3 provisions that protect it. These were first inserted by the GOP when they were in control.

1. The first blocks the SEC from finishing a rule for corporate political spending disclosure. 2. The second secret money rider blocks the Treasury Department from clarifying how to prevent sham "social welfare" organizations from being used as front groups for secret campaign spending.

It's the 12th anniversary of Citizens United.

Justice RBG said in 2014 that "if there was one decision I would overrule, it would be Citizens United. I think the notion that we have all the democracy that money can buy strays so far from what our democracy is supposed to be." Citizens United, like so many other SCOTUS decisions in recent years, was about who holds power. The Court overturned settled law to rule that corporations apparently enjoy a First Amendment right to spend unlimited amounts of their corporate treasury funds influencing elections.

Yesterday, it became public that Republican @FEC Commissioners blocked an enforcement action against Donald Trump & the Trump Organization for the $130,000 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels that Trump arranged weeks before the 2016 election. 1/ This was in response to an @FEC complaint that @CommonCause filed.

As @FEC nonpartisan career attorneys' analysis below shows, @CommonCause was right. This was the @FEC's staff recommendation to the Commissioners, recommending the @FEC find knowing & willful violations.

ICYMI, Sen. @JonTester laid out a path to filibuster reform on @RealTimers last night:

“It’s being abused to the max & it’s no longer about getting bipartisan groups of senators together to pass a piece of legislation together. Now it’s used to stonewall, it’s used to stop.” 1/ “And for those reasons, I think we do need to go back and take a look at it. But I think we ought to give this Congress a chance to screw up before we change it. That’s my opinion.” 2/

Today is the 11th anniversary of Citizens United, the case where SCOTUS ruled that corporations have a First Amendment right to spend unlimited corporate funds influencing elections.

Here's how #HR1 rebalances the undue influence of $-in-politics to address some of the fallout. First, let's clear up what #SCOTUS said.

—It did NOT say that corporations have a constitutional right to give directly to candidates;

—It DID say corps have a constitutional right to spend unlimited amounts on elections, so long as the spending is "independent" of a campaign.