How Did we Get Here?

The Committee on Corporate Political Spending has Answers

Conference Board Signal
The Conference Board

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As President Trump — the first sitting executive of a company to become commander in chief — begins to roll out his agenda, many in political circles are asking the question, “how did we get here?”

Prior to Election Day, The Conference Board Governance Center held a meeting of its Committee on Corporate Political Spending in Washington, D.C. that attempted to answer that question and many other related ones. One product of this meeting is the report, Have we reached a tipping point? It features insights and highlights from the Governance Center’s Committee on Corporate Political Spending meeting on the “Varied Views on Corporate Political Spending from Main Street to Wall Street and in Between.” Committee members were joined by FEC commissioners, members of the press, investors, and other stakeholders.

Some of the messages from that meeting include:

  • After the Citizens United vs. FEC decision in 2010, political spending increased by $1 billion.
  • The vast majority of money raised in federal elections comes from limited, publicly disclosed contributions made by individuals.
  • The public perception of money in politics is undermining people’s trust in our democratic institutions.

The report is now available for complimentary download for members of The Conference Board.

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