Disclosure & Transparency

“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.”

Political organizations posing as “social welfare” nonprofits and pumping hundreds of millions of dollars from hidden donors into political campaigns are depriving voters of information they need to make decisions on Election Day, a Common Cause attorney told senators today.

Last week, the D.C. Circuit Court overturned a SEC rule requiring companies to disclose whether they use conflict minerals, arguing that it infringed on corporations' First Amendment rights. I went on the Big Picture with Thom Hartmann to discuss what this means in the larger fight for a transparent and open government.

A poll released by The New York Times and CBS News today shows that more than 80% of Americans support fundamental change or a complete overhaul of the way political campaigns are funded. The survey found majorities of both Republicans and Democrats favor strong campaign finance reforms, including:

In a party line vote, Republicans on the House Communications and Technology subcommittee defeated legislation that would have forced the secret sponsors of broadcast political ads into the open.