Reid and McConnell Offer Conflicting Views on Campaign Spending

WASHINGTON - Offering drastically different opinions about the role of money in politics, the Senate leaders Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell on Tuesday made a rare joint appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

With historic amounts of money from independent expenditures and 'super PACs' flowing into the 2014 election contests, the committee is considering a Democratic amendment that would give Congress and the states the ability to regulate political spending by outside groups.

Mr. McConnell, the minority leader from Kentucky, accused his Democratic colleagues of trying to curtail free speech, and of engaging in a 'political exercise' intended to 'stir up one party's political base so they'll show up in November.'

'But,' Mr. McConnell added, 'the political nature of this exercise should not obscure how shockingly bad this proposal is.'

Mr. Reid, the Senate majority leader from Nevada, deplored the 'flood of dark money' into the political process, accusing Republicans of siding against the American people in favor of the 'status quo.'

'Free speech shouldn't cost the American people a penny, a dime, and certainly not a dollar,' Mr. Reid said.

Mr. McConnell and Mr. Reid typically snipe at one another on the Senate floor or in dueling news conferences in the ornate corridor just outside the Senate chamber, but their appearance before the Judiciary Committee marked the first time in more than a decade that the majority and minority leaders have appeared before the committee to discuss a policy matter. (In 2001, according to committee staffers, the Democratic and Republican leaders came before the committee to discuss a judicial nominee.)

But those who were expecting fireworks - and the long line of congressional staffers and members of the public waiting to grab a seat in the gallery underscored such expectations - were disappointed. Perhaps the only snub came when Mr. Reid finished and left before Mr. McConnell testified.

The amendment, sponsored by Senator Tom Udall, Democrat of New Mexico, is the Democratic response to an influx of money flooding into campaigns following two major Supreme Court rulings: The 2010 Citizens United decision struck down limits on independent campaign spending by corporations and unions, and the McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission decision earlier this year struck down aggregate limits on campaign contributions.

Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont and the committee chairman, said the recent Supreme Court decisions 'threaten the constitutional rights of hard-working Americans who wanted their voices heard, not drowned in a series of corporate special interests and a flood of campaign ads on television.'

Mr. McConnell pointed out that it is almost certain the measure will not pass, but Mr. Reid and Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, the No. 3 Senate Democrat, have promised a vote on the amendment later this summer. Congressional Democrats, led by Mr. Reid, have made the outsize role of money in politics, including the contributions of the conservative billionaire brothers Charles and David H. Koch, a rallying cry for their midterm races, as well as part of their 2014 agenda.

The Democrats' blueprint for maintaining their Senate majority in the midterm elections includes a series of votes on bills - such as an increase in the federal minimum wage or paycheck fairness - that are intended to portray Republicans as out of touch with middle-class Americans.