Ranking Member Klobuchar Leads Effort to Advance Shana Broussard as a Commissioner to the Federal Election Commission

Vote to advance Broussard at Senate Rules Committee hearing was unanimous

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), the lead Democrat on the Senate Rules Committee which has oversight over the administration of federal elections and federal campaign finance law, led the effort to advance the historic confirmation of Shana Broussard to serve on the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The vote was unanimous. Ms. Broussard is a well-respected FEC attorney and would be the first person of color to serve on the Commission. In October, the White House nominated Ms. Broussard to serve as a Democratic Commissioner on the FEC. Klobuchar urged the full Senate to confirm Ms. Broussard without delay.

“Shana Broussard is an immensely qualified candidate who has worked at the FEC for more than a decade and I have been urging the White House to nominate her for more than a year,” Klobuchar said. “The FEC needs to be fully functioning so it can enforce our nation’s campaign finance laws. We must restore trust in the FEC, and confirming Ms. Broussard, a well-respected and longtime FEC lawyer, will go a long way towards doing that.”

As a Commissioner, Ms. Broussard would bring 12 years of experience at the FEC to the Commission. Ms. Broussard has served as Counsel to FEC Commissioner Steven T. Walther since 2015, and began her career with the Commission in 2008 as an attorney in the General Counsel’s office.  Prior to her career with the FEC, Ms. Broussard was an Attorney Advisor at the Internal Revenue Service, a Deputy Disciplinary Counsel at the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board, and served as a New Orleans Assistant District Attorney. For her work at the FEC, Ms. Broussard received the “Outstanding Performance Award” in 2011 and 2014. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Dillard University and her Juris Doctor from Southern University Law Center.

Klobuchar has been a leader in the fight to restore a quorum to the FEC. In January, Klobuchar led a letter to White House Counsel Pat Cipollone urging the Administration to immediately nominate the bipartisan pair of candidates that were submitted to President Donald Trump by Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to fill vacancies at the FEC. This letter was preceded by one that was sent in August of 2019, where Klobuchar urged President Trump to swiftly complete the vetting process on Ms. Broussard and put forward a nominee so that the Senate could move forward with the confirmation process.

Klobuchar is a leader on campaign finance reform legislation. She has been a champion of the For the People Act in the Senate and is the lead sponsor of the Campaign Finance Transparency Act, legislation that would dramatically improve the functionality of the Federal Election Commission. Last October, Klobuchar introduced the Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Lasting Democracy (SHIELD) Act. The legislation, which passed the House of Representatives, includes three Klobuchar provisions to secure U.S. elections, including the Honest Ads Act, PAID AD Act, and Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act. Last year she also introduced the Help America Run Act. This legislation would make it easier to run for office by expanding the permitted uses of campaign funds to include child care, elder care, dependent care, and health care premiums.

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