Separation of Corporation and State

It is the AW position that there is nothing inherently wrong with wealth, but no amount of it should provide for special influence over elections, laws, and policies. Today, major corporations and foreign interests have far more say in our government than the American voter.

That privilege is the result of decades of corruption among both the Democratic and Republican parties. The Whig Party is committed above all to destroying the corrupt systems that are destroying America.

Corporate (and Foreign) Influence in American Government

Make bribery illegal again. Here are just some of the problems the Whig legislative agenda solves:

Citizens United and Super PACs

Thanks to the cleverly-named “Citizens United” ruling, corporations can spend unlimited sums on political "education" and advertisements, effectively drowning out the voices of ordinary citizens.

The Foreign Subsidiary Loophole

While foreign nationals are banned from donating to U.S. elections, foreign-owned multinational corporations can funnel money into U.S. politics through their American-based subsidiaries, allowing foreign interests to shape domestic policy.

Insider Trading

While regular citizens rely on public news to make investment decisions, members of Congress, the President of the United States, and other government officials are abusing their access to non-public, sensitive information. Additionally, their ownership of individual stocks is a conflict of interest in and of itself. The STOCK Act (2012) was intended to stop this but it is a toothless law, and the fines for non-compliance are too low to be effective.

Lobbying, Revolving Doors, and Regulatory Capture

By aggressively lobbying the agencies that oversee them (like the EPA or the SEC), corporations ensure that the officials in charge of enforcement are often former or future industry executives who prioritize corporate profits over public safety. Corporations hire former members of Congress and high-ranking agency officials as lobbyists immediately after they leave office, purchasing "insider access" that is unavailable to ordinary citizens.

State Lawmaking & ALEC

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a method for corporations to pay for special access to state legislators. They use this access to send corporate lawyers to sit behind closed doors with state lawmakers to write "model bills," which are then introduced as the legislator’s own work. These laws then get introduced in statehouses around the country, and are used as ideological pretext for federal law.

Dark Money Groups

Corporations can donate to non-profits that do not have to disclose their donors, allowing multi-national entities to influence elections and public opinion without the accountability of the voting public knowing who paid for the message.

Strategic Litigation and Amicus Briefs

Multinational corporations have the "war chests" to fight the government in court for decades, often filing "friend of the court" briefs that provide judges with industry-biased legal interpretations that shape how laws are applied to 330 million people.

Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS)

Many trade agreements allow multinational corporations to sue the U.S. government in private, international tribunals if a law passed by Congress (such as a health or environmental regulation) threatens the company’s future "expected profits."

Economic Leverage and Capital Strikes

Unlike citizens, who are tied to their communities, multinational corporations can use the threat of "offshoring" jobs or moving their headquarters to another country to coerce local and federal governments into granting them tax breaks and deregulation.

Bundling and Pay-to-Play Politics

While a citizen might send $50 to a candidate, corporate executives "bundle" checks from hundreds of employees and associates, delivering a massive lump sum that grants them private, "pay-to-play" access to the politician.

Influence over Judicial Appointments

Through organizations like the Federalist Society, corporate donors help vet and promote specific judges for lifetime appointments to federal courts, ensuring the law is interpreted through a "pro-business" lens for generations to come.

Administrative "Deference" Lobbying

Even after a law is passed, corporations lobby the bureaucrats who write the specific "rules" of the law; if they can't stop a bill in Congress, they often succeed in "gutting" its enforcement during the technical rulemaking phase.

How to Seperate the State from Corporate and Foreign Influence

The Whig Party addresses these issues at all levels and all branches of government. Here are some of the ways the Whigs will bring power back to everyday Americans.

The "We the People" Amendment

A Constitutional Amendment to clarify that the rights protected by the Constitution are the rights of natural persons only, and that money is property, not speech. This would effectively overturn both Citizens United and Buckley v. Valeo, allowing the government to once again limit corporate and foreign political spending.

Election & Campaign Finance Reform

Move to a system of public financing with private contribution caps for federal and state elections.  Require immediate, 24-hour transparency for any political spending over $1000. This would eliminate "Dark Money" by forcing 501(c)(4) organizations to reveal their true donors.

Banning Foreign-Owned Corporate Spending: Pass legislation that prohibits any corporation with more than 5% foreign ownership (or 1% by a single foreign entity) from spending money on U.S. elections or lobbying, closing the "subsidiary loophole."

The BITE Act (Banning Insider Trading Ethically)

No federal government official, their spouse, or dependents may own individual stocks for the duration of their tenure in office plus 1 year. They would still be allowed to invest in broad index funds (like the S&P 500) because it aligns their success with the success of the entire market, rather than one specific corporation. Increased fines for non-compliance.

Ending the "Revolving Door" & Regulatory Capture

A "Cool Off" Period: a mandatory five-year ban on former members of Congress and executive branch officials becoming lobbyists.

Disqualify any individual from working in a regulatory agency (like the EPA, FDA, or FCC) if they have worked for the industry they are supposed to regulate within the last ten years.

Cancel Corporate Welfare

The US government has been effectively used as a tool to reduce and eliminate risk for corporations, at the expense of the American taxpayer. Risk is part of doing business. Competition is the lifeblood of a free capitalist society. No more tax breaks and taxpayer-funded bailouts for corporations that fail to effectively compete in the market. 

A Republic, If You Can Keep It

The United States government must not be for sale. The Whig Party is committed, above all, to destroying the corrupt systems that are destroying America. If you would like a hand in determining the future of our great republic, join the Whigs today.