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.