Amid the rush to pass a government funding bill, Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) is pushing Congress to pass her bipartisan bill cracking down on scam PACs.
Video of Porter:
Fraudsters are exploiting loopholes in the law to steal from Americans eager to participate in our democracy. I'm urging Congress to pass my bipartisan bill that cracks down on scam PACs, groups that pocket donations they advertise will be directed towards causes and candidates. pic.twitter.com/ApFScP6ok3
— Rep. Katie Porter (@RepKatiePorter) December 14, 2022
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In May, when she first introduced the bill, Rep. Porter said, “Fraudsters have been taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to ramp up their efforts to cheat Americans—it is past time that we put our foot down. We can’t continue allowing scammers to prey on our communities, especially as they target our veterans and our seniors. I am proud to introduce bipartisan, commonsense legislation that would put a stop to scam PACs.”
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We’ve all seen these PACs some of them make videos, some of them use candidate images, and some of them use candidate names. They are very deceptive, and the goal is to get good-intentioned donors to part with money that will never go to the candidate that the PAC claims to support.
Due to Citizens United, there is a massive problem with legitimate super PACs raising money off of supporting a candidate and then pocketing 80%-90% of each donation to pay themselves or their fundraisers.
The best way to support a candidate of your choice is to donate to them directly.
For example, a super PAC claiming to donate to Katie Porter is not as good as donating to Porter herself.
Until Congress fixes the campaign finance system, important bills like Katie Porter’s need to become law to protect donors from scams.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
