“The Federal Election Commission has just this week confirmed that no presidential candidate to date has opted to participate for the 2012 election,” Harper said on the House floor. “Mr. Chairman, we’re talking about eliminating the program that literally no candidate is currently using or preparing to use at this point.

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“That includes President Obama, who in 2008 famously became the first presidential candidate ever to decline to participate in both the primary and general election phases of the program.”

Later in the debate, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner Frank (Jim) James SensenbrennerRepublicans call for Judiciary hearing into unrest in cities run by Democrats Scott Fitzgerald wins Wisconsin GOP primary to replace Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner Hillicon Valley: House panel grills tech CEOs during much anticipated antitrust hearing | TikTok to make code public as it pushes back against 'misinformation' | House Intel panel expands access to foreign disinformation evidence MORE (R-Wis.) said the public campaign financing system was already “destroyed” by Obama’s decision to avoid it entirely.

“[Obama] refused to be bound by its restrictions,” Sensenbrenner said. “Sen. [John] McCain was, and he was put at a significant disadvantage in the general election campaign by running against candidate Obama, who rejected the election campaign fund’s funds, and raised huge and unlimited amounts of money.”

Rep. Louie Gohmert Louis (Louie) Buller GohmertHouse in near-unanimous vote affirms peaceful transfer of power House rebuffs GOP lawmaker's effort to remove references to Democrats in Capitol Rep. Dan Meuser tests positive for COVID-19 MORE (R-Texas) went further by saying Obama’s decision to forego public financing should be seen as his support for efforts to do away with the public financing system.

“I stand with our president, Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaUnseemly brawl unlikely to change a thing It's now up to health systems to solve our food problems Testing the Electoral College process against judicial overreach MORE, on this issue, who found that fund is worthless, it’s an impediment to getting elected,” Gohmert said. “So I stand with President Obama in saying, let’s get rid of the fund and not use it any more, and let the $200 million in that fund go to something helpful instead of being an impediment to being elected president.”

The House is expected to approve Harper’s bill to end publicly financed campaigns later Thursday. The bill would also eliminate the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), which Republicans say has outlived its usefulness in ensuring states meet basic voting standards.

Democrats have argued that ending the EAC, put in place after the close and controversial 2000 presidential election, is akin to the Jim Crow laws used decades before to prevent blacks from voting.

“The only reason to want to eliminate them is to further suppress votes,” Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) said of ending both the EAC and public financing of campaigns. “The votes are the same groups who were targeted by Jim Crow laws decades ago.”

Sensenbrenner rejected that argument.

“I can’t believe what I just heard from my friend from Missouri,” he said, adding that Harper’s bill is “not a Jim Crow law.”

Republicans have said that any remaining needed functions of the EAC can be picked up by the FEC. Harper reiterated that point and added that the the average annual salary at the EAC is $106,000.

— This story was updated at 1:40 p.m. and again at 2:14 p.m.