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Congressman Tonko Slams Supreme Court Decision

WAMC Photo by Dave Lucas

Congressman Paul Tonko has condemned the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the McCutcheon v. FEC case that ruled caps on the total amount of money an individual can contribute to political campaigns and Political Action Committees (PACs) are unconstitutional.

Wednesday morning, in a 5-to-4 decision, the US Supreme Court struck down overall contribution limits to federal campaigns and committees. Tonko branded the decision "flawed" - saying America should be a government of the many, not the money. 

"I think we're making a bad decision, made even worse by this sequel to Citizens United."

The Citizens United ruling, released in January 2010, gave corporations and unions the go to spend unlimited sums on advertising calling for the election or defeat of individual candidates.

Tonko favors a proposed Constitutional amendment that would empower Congress to make campaign finance laws. The federal decision opens the door to a possible challenge to New York's campaign contribution limits.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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