The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has made a significant decision that could impact how candidates are able to fund their campaigns. The change will see candidates for federal office being given expanded abilities to pay themselves using their campaign funds.
The nonpartisan FEC voted on Dec. 14 to revise its regulations on the use of money from a candidate’s principal campaign committee to compensate themselves. The Final Rules of REG 2021-01 (Candidate Salaries) will be published in the Federal Register at a future date, according to a release from the FEC.
A memorandum from the FEC dated Dec. 7 stated that the draft final rule approved by the FEC on Thursday would allow campaign funds from a principal campaign committee to continue being used to pay compensation to the candidate, as long as it is not for personal use.
The memorandum also outlined the eligibility criteria for candidate compensation, stating that it should not exceed 50 percent of the minimum annual salary for members of the U.S. House of Representatives, which is $174,000. This limitation is aimed at preventing personal enrichment from campaigning and is tailored to real financial need.
Under the new rule, candidates will be able to start drawing a salary from their principal campaign committee the day they file a statement of candidacy. This is a departure from previous rules, which stated that candidates could not be paid from their campaign funds before certain deadlines.
FEC Chair Dara Lindenbaum and FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub expressed their satisfaction with the new regulations, stating that it will eliminate barriers for lower-income Americans who want to run for office. They believe that the changes will help ordinary, working-class Americans to participate in the political process.
However, not all FEC commissioners were in complete agreement with the new rules. Republican FEC Commissioner Allen Dickerson acknowledged that the regulation is not perfect but considered it an enormous improvement upon the status quo. He emphasized that the new rule is not an invitation to simply pay a candidate for being a candidate and does not put the Commission in the position of setting a market price for candidate services.
The decision by the FEC to revise its regulations on candidate salaries has the potential to reshape how political campaigns are funded. The rule change aims to provide candidates with more financial flexibility while preventing personal enrichment from campaign funds. While some officials welcome the new regulations as a step in the right direction, others believe that there is still room for improvement. As the changes take effect, it remains to be seen how they will impact the landscape of political campaigning in the United States.
