Narrow constitutional amendment proposals went nowhere under Biden

Joe Biden's 2020 pledge to pursue a constitutional amendment requiring candidates for federal office to fund their campaigns with public dollars did not happen after four years in office.

Several attempts to pass less far-reaching constitutional amendments on campaign finance also stalled.

During Biden's first two years, Democratic lawmakers proposed several amendments that would have limited campaign spending, increased transparency or both. None advanced.

During the second two years of Biden's tenure, when Republicans controlled the House, two Democratic lawmakers offered constitutional amendments on campaign finance.  

One, from Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., would have overturned the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision, which lets corporations and special interest groups spend virtually unlimited funds on elections. 

The other, from Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., would have prohibited courts from construing election spending as speech and from construing that corporations have constitutional rights equal to people. The measure would have required federal, state and local governments to limit election contributions and expenditures, including by candidates, and would have required public disclosure of all contributions and expenditures.

Neither of these constitutional amendments advanced to a vote.

We rate Biden's pledge Promise Broken.