Cloture Motion

Floor Speech

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Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I rise today in support of Dara Lindenbaum's nomination to be a Commissioner on the Federal Election Commission--FEC--the independent agency responsible for enforcing Federal campaign finance laws.

Ms. Lindenbaum is an experienced nominee who is respected on both sides of the aisle; that is why earlier this month her nomination was reported out of the Rules Committee with bipartisan support, including from Ranking Member Blunt. I hope more of my Republican colleagues will join us in supporting her nomination today.

I would also like to note that the last time the Senate considered the nomination of FEC Commissioners in December 2020, we confirmed two Republicans and one Democrat, who--importantly--restored a quorum to the Commission.

Ms. Lindenbaum's confirmation will simply maintain the Commission's current partisan balance, since she has been nominated to fill the seat being vacated by Commissioner Walther after many years of service.

The FEC is charged with a critical role in ensuring accountability in our system of government, and it was established by Congress in the wake of the Watergate scandal to restore the public's faith in our electoral processes, to make it clear that, in America, politicians must play by the rules, so that the votes of the people decide our elections.

Now, 47 years later, the work of the FEC is as important as ever. The 2020 election cycle was the most expensive in history. Total spending was over $14 billion with $8 billion spent on political advertisements alone. And too many voters feel like their voices are being drowned out. At the same time, the Commission is facing the challenges that arise given rapidly evolving technologies and the ongoing threat of foreign interference in our elections.

It is a big and important job, but Dara Lindenbaum is more than capable of taking it on. Ms. Lindenbaum has extensive experience in election and campaign finance law, with years of experience working for a civil rights nonprofit and in private practice. She also has firsthand experience at the FEC where she worked as a law clerk early in her legal career, and her work representing clients before the FEC will allow her to bring an important perspective to the Commission.

Throughout the confirmation process, Ms. Lindenbaum has shown that she will be a fair and effective Commissioner. In her testimony, she stated that ``[t]he consideration of the facts and the law in front of me will be my guideposts as I seek to provide clarity to the regulated community, increase transparency, and collaborate with my fellow Commissioners[.]''

She is both well qualified and well respected. Before Ms. Lindenbaum's nomination hearing, the Rules Committee received a letter from 30 of the Nation's top campaign finance lawyers. The letter ``enthusiastically'' recommends Ms. Lindenbaum's confirmation, and it is signed by Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, including Lee Goodman, a former Republican Chairman of the FEC, and Karl Sandstrom, a former Democratic Commissioner. In the letter--and these are their words, not mine--these attorneys praise her as a ``thoughtful and conscientious advocate'' and ``a genial and inclusive colleague.'' I agree with their conclusion that she would be ``an excellent addition to the Commission.''

The fact that Ms. Lindenbaum has support from top campaign finance attorneys in both parties is no surprise, since she learned about getting along across the aisle at a young age--from her own family. Growing up, her parents supported different political parties, and so every election day, she would take two trips to their polling place, one to watch her mom vote and then another with her dad. Her parents' example will serve her well on the Commission, which in recent years has often suffered from partisan divides and stalemate.

As we know, no more than three Commissioners can be from the same political party, but it requires four votes to take most actions. So when votes consistently fall along party lines, very little gets done. For example, the FEC has not enacted any major disclosure rules or internet regulations in over a decade. Hundreds of enforcement cases have been left unresolved. This is not fair to candidates or to the public.

While I continue to urge my colleagues to pass legislation to address some of these issues, it is also up to the Commissioners to figure out ways to work across party lines and find bipartisan agreement. I know that Ms. Lindenbaum is up to the task and that she will work to find common ground with her fellow Commissioners on these difficult issues.

Our Nation was founded on the ideals of democracy, and we have seen for ourselves in this building how we can't afford to take that for granted. We are reminded every day, as we see the people of Ukraine putting their lives on the line to stand up for their democracy, that it is up to all of us to protect our system of government here at home. At its core, that is the job of the FEC, to ensure the agency fulfills its mission to ``protect the integrity of the Federal campaign finance process'' and, in doing so, to keep our democracy strong.

I am confident that Dara Lindenbaum is up to this challenge, and I urge all of my colleagues to vote for cloture and support her confirmation. Vote on Lindenbaum Nomination

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