Going to a Hearing

At my internship with Senator Portman's office, I occasionally get the chance to attend hearings. Today (June 3) I had the chance to attend a Judiciary Committee hearing about SJR 19, which proposes a 28th Amendment to the Constitution. This Amendment would, if enacted, allow limits to be placed on the amount of money that can be spent on campaigns. Essentially, it is an attempt to undo the Citizens United Supreme Court decision in which the Court held that the First Amendment prohibited governmental restrictions on the amount of money that corporations and labor unions could donate to political campaigns. This decision made campaign finance reform incredibly difficult if not impossible.

The hearing took place in the Hart Building, but the room was so full that I was told to go to the overflow room in the Dirksen Building. This room was also incredibly full. Fortunately I was able to find a chair and watched as senators such as Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell, Ted Cruz, Chuck Grassley, Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, Orrin Hatch, and Patrick Leahy debated the bill. Each side made strong arguments, with Republicans mainly arguing that limiting speech was inherently antidemocratic, whereas Democrats argued that the flow of "dark money" into politics made it impossible for "mere mortals", that is, people who are not exorbitantly wealthy, to have their voices heard.

Ted Cruz took an extreme position by saying that people who were in favor of SJR 19 were against the First Amendment. He accused Democrats of abandoning the Bill of Rights. Chuck Schumer accused Cruz and the other Republicans of "replacing logic with hyperbole". 

The hearing was really entertaining to watch. Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell cracked jokes with each other and it was interesting to hear each side argue so passionately.Personally, I believe that campaign finance reform is something that needs to happen. It should not be through a constitutional amendment though, because it would be so hard to reverse if there were unintended consequences. I tend to agree with the Republican argument that limiting free speech, even if it is by corporations and the super rich, is inherently antidemocratic. However, as Chuck Schumer said at the hearing, all the amendments are balanced. That is, there are limits to free speech. Campaign finance reform needs to happen, but it is important to understand that both sides are guilty of it. However, a constitutional amendment should be the last resort.

I really enjoyed this hearing because it related to something that I have a strong opinion on. For those of you who are not working on the Hill, you really should try to come to one.

Chris Doarn

A hearing room