Disclosure & Transparency

Common Cause and several coalition partners delivered petitions signed by nearly 1 million Americans to the White House today, asking President Obama to order federal contractors to disclose their political spending.

With the presidential election just a year away and critical primaries and caucuses beginning in a few weeks, a coalition of legal and civic advocacy groups called on the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday to require broadcasters to disclose the “true sponsors” of political advertising.

“Chairman Chaffetz and others in and outside of Congress who are preventing the IRS from doing its job are pulling another stunt to divert public and press attention from the real IRS scandal: the agency’s failure to set out clear guidance on the limits -- for tax purposes -- of political activity by social welfare organizations.

The Federal Election Commission should revamp its rules governing political fundraising and spending to give voters a fuller picture of who is spending money to influence their votes, Common Cause said in a written submission to the FEC on Tuesday.

“The side-show around Lois Lerner is no longer an excuse for the IRS's failure to provide clear guidance on the limits -- for tax purposes -- of political activity by social welfare organizations. There’s a direct link between the ‘mismanagement, poor judgment and institutional inertia’ identified by the Justice Department today and the IRS’ loophole-ridden regulations on campaign-related political activities by ‘social welfare’ nonprofit organizations. It's long past time to rewrite and reform these rules.

In releasing the names of Jeb Bush’s financial bundlers yesterday, the former Florida governor’s presidential campaign said Bush is “committed to transparency.”