Archived
DC Court Upholds Pay-to-Play Ban
Some great news came out of the courts Tuesday, as the DC Court of Appeals upheld a law barring federal contractors from making contributions in federal elections. The ban, which…
Archived
Flickr / Pictures of Money
It’s good to be in Congress. According to a new report released today, more than 240 organizations spent nearly $20 million honoring federal officials and the organizations close to them last year.
The Hill analyzed Senate disclosure records and looked at gifts by unions, universities, corporations and other groups. Beyond the money, they also highlighted loopholes in the Congressional gift ban and limits on campaign contributions.
A few highlights from the investigation:
Perhaps most interesting in the report are the number of sources and compliance lawyers that said “confusion does exist” about which expenses should be disclosed, and also that there is “no real enforcement” to ensure proper reporting.
In short: this is only part of the picture.
Troubling news like this is why we support holding everyone accountable, including candidates, public officials and organizations across the political and ideological spectrum. It’s also why we support full transparency and real-time disclosure of contributions, and putting in place common-sense rules to combat conflicts of interest.
Read the report in full in The Hill.
Issue: Ethics &
Accountability
Archived
Some great news came out of the courts Tuesday, as the DC Court of Appeals upheld a law barring federal contractors from making contributions in federal elections. The ban, which…
Archived
The Internal Revenue Service is unlikely to take steps to shine a light on dark money spending in the run-up to the 2016 elections, the New York Times reports today.…
Archived
Disclosure requirements are varied, complicated, and poorly enforced. That’s a problem, because where there is confusion, subversion and outright disregard for the law abounds. As campaign finance law has mutated…