Who's Watching the Money in Politics?

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is supposed to keep an eye on campaign money, but right now, it's not doing much watching. The reason? It doesn't have enough people to make decisions. The FEC needs at least four members to function properly, but lately, it's been running with just two. This isn't a new problem, but it's getting worse. Recently, another member left, making it even harder for the FEC to do its job. The remaining members can't vote on important issues, like investigations or penalties. This means that even if someone breaks campaign finance rules, the FEC can't do much about it. It's like having a traffic cop who can't write tickets. Some people think this is a big deal. Without the FEC enforcing rules, it's easier for political groups to spend money however they want. Others argue that the FEC wasn't doing much anyway, even when it had enough members. They point out that the FEC often deadlocks on decisions, making it hard to get anything done. The FEC isn't completely useless, though. Staff members still collect and publish information about campaign finances. This helps keep things somewhat transparent, even if the FEC can't take action. But without a quorum, the FEC can't issue rules or penalties, which are crucial for enforcing campaign finance laws. The lack of a quorum also affects how the FEC is perceived. With no Republican members, the agency is seen as less balanced. This matters because the FEC's decisions often depend on bipartisan agreement. Without that, it's hard to move forward on important issues. Some experts believe that other agencies or private groups could step in to enforce campaign finance laws. The Department of Justice, for example, has some oversight role, but it's not clear how much they're doing. Private groups can also sue the FEC if they think it's not doing its job, but this process can be slow and complicated. In the end, the lack of a quorum at the FEC highlights a bigger problem: the difficulty of regulating campaign finance in the United States. With political parties often at odds and the Supreme Court's decisions limiting campaign finance laws, it's hard to see a quick fix. For now, the FEC remains unable to do its job, leaving campaign finance rules largely unenforced.