Van Hollen Urges President to Require Government Contractors to Disclose Campaign Finance Spending

Today Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen wrote to President Obama to urge him to require government contractors to disclose their campaign finance spending once the bidding process is complete and they have been awarded a contract.  In the face of continued obstruction by Republicans in Congress, he argued the Administration must act.

“You have the power to require effective disclosure from those who have received government contracts. It is essential that we use every means available to lift the veil that obscures the identity of those who are secretly bankrolling elections.  Compelling government contractors to disclose their contributions would be an important first step.  I urge you to act now on this important issue,” Congressman Van Hollen wrote.

Van Hollen is the author of the DISCLOSE Act, which has been the primary legislative vehicle in Congress to bring increased transparency to outside spending in our elections.  He also leads the effort to increase disclosure in several lawsuits that are pending on the federal level.

The full text of the letter is below.

March 26, 2015
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

I am writing to urge you to issue an Executive Order to require government contractors to disclose their campaign finance spending once the bidding process is complete and they have been awarded a contract.

Ever since the Citizens United decision opened the door to the spending of secret money to influence federal elections, hundreds of millions of dollars has been channeled into our elections. The Supreme Court in Citizens United by an overwhelming 8 to 1 vote, however, stated that requiring disclosure of campaign finance activities by outside spending groups is constitutional.

Refusing to disclose the sources of money used in political campaigns denies the American people basic information of who is trying to influence their votes. It is long past time to address this problem.

As you know, I introduced the DISCLOSE Act in the House of Representatives shortly after the Court issued the badly reasoned opinion in Citizens United. This bill requires all outside groups making expenditures in federal campaigns to disclose the source of the contributions they are using to fund their campaign-related spending. The DISCLOSE Act bill passed the House in 2010. The Senate companion bill fell one vote short of getting the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster and pass the Senate. Since then, I have reintroduced the DISCLOSE Act in every subsequent Congress. Unfortunately, House Republican leaders have refused to allow a vote on my bill. 

However, you have the power to require effective disclosure from those who have received government contracts. It is essential that we use every means available to lift the veil that obscures the identity of those who are secretly bankrolling elections.  Compelling government contractors to disclose their contributions would be an important first step.  I urge you to act now on this important issue.

Sincerely,

Chris Van Hollen

Member of Congress