Congress facing ‘pivotal moment,’ Sanders says

Calling it a “pivotal moment in American history,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Sunday called on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment that would reverse the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.

{mosads}Sanders, who is considering a 2016 presidential run, is a co-sponsor of an amendment that the U.S. Senate could take up when it returns from August recess this week.

In 2010, the Supreme Court struck down rules that limited how much money corporations and unions can spend in elections.

Sanders and other liberal critics argue that the decision gives the rich an unfair voice in elections. Conservative supporters argue that the ruling protects freedom of speech.

“Billionaires buying elections is not what our Constitution stands for,” said Sanders in a statement. “The major issue of our time is whether the United States of America retains its democratic foundation or whether we devolve into an oligarchic form of society where a handful of billionaires are able to control our political process by spending hundreds of millions of dollars to elect candidates who represent their interests.”

It’s unknown whether the amendment has the 60 votes needed to clear a procedural hurdle in the Senate to make it to a floor vote.