Sen. Josh Hawley Proposes Legislation to Limit Corporate Political Spending, Faces Opposition from Mitch McConnell

Hawley's proposed bill aimed at curtailing political spending of publicly traded corporations is seen as a challenge to 2010's Citizens United decision; McConnell pushes back, underscoring potential threats to Republicans who benefited from large Super PAC donations.

• Senator Josh Hawley has proposed a bill to limit political contributions from publicly-traded corporations. The move is seen as a challenge to the controversial 2010's Supreme Court's Citizen United decision that allowed corporations to donate unlimited amounts to political campaigns.
• Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has benefitted substantially from Super PAC donations, is opposing Hawley's bill. McConnell warned Republican senators not to support Hawley’s legislation, highlighting how many of them owe their seats to these corporate political spendings.
• Hawley's bill may be interpreted as a grab for political integrity or as an attack on corporations that criticized him for supporting the Capitol riots and objecting to the certification of President Joe Biden’s election win.
• Despite Hawley's previous reliance on Super PAC money, his campaign might not take a hit if the bill becomes law as far-right Republicans are increasingly relying on small-dollar donations as opposed to large corporate contributions.
• Hawley’s bill does not seek to upend all elements of the Citizens United decision—it fails to address money spent on politics by nonprofits and other associations. However, if passed, the bill could help contain election spending, which hit a record of $14.4 billion in 2020.

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