(Host) Congressman Bernie Sanders says the vote this week in the U.S. House in support of campaign finance reform is one of the most important votes that has taken place during his congressional career.
The legislation eliminates most soft money from political campaigns. It came to the House floor despite the strong opposition of the Republican leadership in that chamber.
Sanders says the bill has the potential of having a significant impact on the debate over many other key issues in Congress:
(Sanders) “Because it impacts on prescription drugs, it impacts on health care, it impacts on energy policy. Because in all of these areas and many more, big money influence dictates to a large degree what Congress does. So if you want to know why we pay the highest price in the world for prescription drugs, why we are the only country in the world without a national health care program, where our energy policy is a disaster, it ties directly into campaign finance and the zillions of dollars that these multi-nationals pour into the political process.”
(Host) The Senate will now consider the bill. A similar bill passed the Senate last session.