Dems push Obama to tighten campaign spending rules

Twenty-nine senators sent a letter to the president Thursday asking him to issue a final executive order requiring federal contractors to disclose political donations, suggesting it’s “vital to the integrity of the federal contracting system.”

 

{mosads}”This type of disclosure is a modest step that would expose an especially troubling type of secret money: campaign contributions that have the potential to influence government contracting practices,” they wrote. 

 

The administration published a draft executive order in 2011 that would have required contractors to disclose their political donations, but the move got pushback from Republican leadership. 

 

The senators, however, said that it is “imperative” that Obama act now after an end-of-the-year spending bill included bans on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) using funds to issue new rules requiring pubic companies to disclose political donations or the IRS from creating new rules on 501(c)(4) groups’ political spending. 

 

They added that the new rules would also help curb “‘pay to play’ practices” heading into the 2016 elections. 

 

Democrats in both chambers have previously pushed Obama to issue a final executive order. Twenty-six senators, as well as more than 100 House lawmakers, sent separate letters to the president in early 2015. 

 

The latest letter comes as the president is set to give his final State of the Union speech Tuesday. 

 

Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden (Ore.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.) spearheaded Thursday’s letter. 

 

It was also signed by Democratic Sens. Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Michael Bennet (Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Chris Coons (Del.), Dick Durbin (Ill.), Al Franken (Minn.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Martin Heinrich (N.M.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Patrick Leahy (Vt.), Ed Markey (Mass.), Bob Menendez (N.J.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Chris Murphy (Conn.), Gary Peters (Mich.), Jack Reed (R.I.), Brian Schatz (Hawaii), Charles Schumer (N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), John Tester (Mont.), Tom Udall (N.M.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), as well as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).