Congress proposes constitutional amendment to restore campaign spending limits

What it does

This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment that would allow Congress and state legislatures to regulate and limit campaign spending and fundraising by candidates and others seeking to influence elections. It explicitly permits distinguishing between individual people and corporations in campaign finance rules, and protects press freedom. The amendment would overturn or substantially limit the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which currently bars most campaign spending limits.

Why we flagged it

This is a straightforward constitutional amendment proposal that directly addresses campaign finance regulation. It does not create new law but rather proposes to amend the Constitution to grant Congress and states explicit power to regulate election spending—a core democratic governance measure.

What the text implies

• Ratification would require approval by 38 state legislatures (three-fourths of 50), a very high bar that makes passage unlikely in the near term despite broad public support for campaign finance limits.
• The amendment explicitly permits Congress and states to distinguish between natural persons and corporations, potentially enabling restrictions on corporate political spending while preserving individual speech rights.
• Implementation would likely trigger immediate litigation over the scope of permissible regulations and the boundary between protected speech and regulable spending.
• States could adopt varying campaign finance regimes, creating a patchwork of rules across federal elections depending on where candidates raise and spend money.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The amendment would restore the ability of elected representatives to limit the influence of money in elections, potentially reducing the outsized power of wealthy donors and corporations and strengthening the principle of political equality. Citizens would regain democratic control over campaign finance rules that currently favor unlimited spending.

Named in the bill

Congress, State legislatures, Citizens United (Supreme Court decision, implicitly targeted), Candidates, Corporations, Press

Where it stands

47 cosponsors: 47 Democrats.

• Sep 11, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Sep 11, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.