On June 30, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission that federal limits on the amount of money that a political party could spend in coordination with candidates were unconstitutional.
The court previously held that political parties, as well as candidates and private groups, may make unlimited independent expenditures during a campaign. But the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) placed limits on how much parties could spend on coordinated expenditures, such as a party consulting with a candidate on television ads or mailers.
Under FECA, political parties could spend anywhere from $65,300 to $32,392,200 in coordination with a candidate running for federal office, depending on the state and whether the person was running for Congress or president.
