John,

You don’t need to imagine what a billionaire-run government looks like. You’re living in it.

In 2024, just 100 billionaire families spent $2.6 billion to influence our presidential and congressional elections. That’s more than double what billionaires spent four years ago and 160 times more than they spent before the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling blew the floodgates of campaign contributions wide open.[1]

And their payoff came fast. Elon Musk, who alone spent a record-breaking $278 million—almost all of it backing Trump—was given sweeping federal power as head of the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency,” a position created out of thin air to let a billionaire reshape the executive branch and the federal government to his liking.

This is what happens when billionaires buy elections: they dismantle the rules meant to restrain them. Trump’s Cabinet is filled with billionaire and multimillionaire donors. Government policy is being tailored to wealthy interests. And the cost is staggering, from deregulated financial markets to gutted public services to tax policies written for the ultra-rich.

Enough is enough. We must tax billionaire wealth gains, and we must reverse the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision before it’s too late.

Add your name to tell Congress: Get billionaire money out of politics.

Peter Thiel bankrolled J.D. Vance’s political rise. Linda McMahon bought a Cabinet seat by donating $25 million. Howard Lutnick spent over $20 million and became Commerce Secretary.

This isn’t democracy. It’s auction politics. And it’s why working families are falling further behind while billionaire wealth explodes.

When billionaires spend billions to buy elections, they expect a return on investment. That’s why they’re pushing to extend the Trump tax scam that gave them windfall tax cuts. It’s why they want to gut the IRS and kill Direct File. And it’s not just Trump and the executive branch they’ve purchased with their political donations: they expect Congress to do their bidding after spending hundreds of millions trying to shape the legislative branch as well.

If we want a government that works for all of us, not the billionaire class, we need to act now. Tax their wealth gains. End unlimited campaign spending. Take our democracy back.

Add your name now to demand Congress get billionaire money out of politics.

Thank you for fighting back,

John Foti
Legislative Director
Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund

[1] Billionaires Buying Elections: They've Come To Collect

-- David's email --

John,

The billionaire takeover of American democracy is here. Our bombshell new report details how just 100 billionaire families spent a record $2.6 billion in the 2024 election cycle, one out of every six dollars spent in the presidential and congressional races combined.[1]

That’s two and a half times what billionaires spent in 2020 and 160 times more than before the disastrous Citizens United decision gave them free rein to buy our government.

From Elon Musk receiving executive power to rewrite government policy, to GOP mega-donors securing Cabinet appointments like prizes, it’s clear that billionaire spending in our elections is an investment. These oligarchs pour billions into super PACs and untold sums into dark money groups. In return, they get policies that slash their taxes, gut corporate regulations, and help them amass trillions more in untaxed wealth.

This isn't just corruption, it's systemic sabotage. While working families are crushed by high prices and stagnant wages, billionaires like Musk spend four times more on elections than they paid in taxes. Their goal? Rig the rules, rig the economy, and silence the rest of us.

We must fight back. Demand Congress tax the ultra-wealthy and overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision that made unlimited political spending possible. That’s the only way to stop billionaire money from drowning out the voices of everyday Americans.

Billionaires don’t throw their campaign money around randomly. It’s a calculated investment. Just look at the numbers: 70% of billionaire campaign contributions went to Republican candidates and causes. And it’s the GOP that’s working to make Trump’s 2017 tax cuts for the rich permanent, costing the public trillions while letting billionaires pay less than ever.

It’s no coincidence. The richest donors fund the politicians who help them dodge taxes. That’s why we need both stronger taxes on billionaire wealth gains and tough campaign finance reform to undo the damage of Citizens United.

Elon Musk’s $278 million investment in Trump didn’t just earn him influence, it earned him unprecedented control over government policy, including an attempt to eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau just as it threatened to make Musk’s planned digital payments system less profitable by protecting consumers.[2] This is what billionaire governance looks like.

It’s only getting worse unless we take action. Congress must tax the ultra-rich on all their income and pass laws to finally stop billionaires from using their unprecedented wealth to buy power.

Add your name to demand Congress get billionaire money out of politics.

Thank you for standing with us in this crucial fight,

David Kass
Executive Director
Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund