Ranking Member Klobuchar Urges Confirmation of Shana Broussard to Federal Election Commission
Klobuchar has been pushing the White House to nominate Broussard, a highly qualified and experienced FEC attorney, to the Commission for more than a year. If confirmed, she will be the first person of color to serve on the Federal Election Commission.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee with oversight over federal elections, released the following statement after the White House announced its intent to nominate Shana Broussard to serve on the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Democrats advanced Ms. Broussard to the White House for consideration more than a year ago. Today’s announcement from the White House that they will nominate Ms. Broussard is historic. The White House also announced its intention to nominate Republican Sean Cooksey to the Commission.
“Shana Broussard is an immensely qualified candidate who has worked at the FEC for more than a decade and I am glad to see that the White House intends to nominate her,” Klobuchar said. “The FEC needs to be fully functioning so it can enforce our nation’s campaign finance laws. However, the timing of these nominations cannot be ignored. We need to stop treating the agency that’s charged with keeping corruption out of our elections like a political pawn. 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.”
Ms. Broussard currently serves as the Counsel to FEC Commissioner Steven T. Walther. Before this, Ms. Broussard was an Attorney Advisor at the Internal Revenue Service and a Deputy Disciplinary Counsel at the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board. She also served as a New Orleans Assistant District Attorney. While 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 appointment candidates to the FEC from both parties. 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 Federal Election Commission (FEC). This letter was preceded by one that was sent in August of 2019, where Klobuchar sent a letter to President Trump urging him to swiftly complete the vetting process on the Democratic candidate 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 the Voter Intimidation Prevention Act. In October 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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