Obama Pushes Senate To Pass Disclose Act

With the August recess just around the corner, President Barack Obama urged the Senate Monday to pass an upcoming bill aimed at revealing entities responsible for funding respective campaign ads meant to influence elections.

The announcement comes in response to the Citizens United v. Federal Election Committee, where the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 vote that corporate funding, both foreign and domestic, of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited under the First Amendment and the source of income for each broadcast is not obliged to reveal itself.

“These shadow groups are already forming and building warchests of tens of millions of dollars to influence the Fall elections,” Obama said. “Now, imagine the power this will give special interests over politicians.”

The president argued that these corporations will have overwhelming influence over the way Congressmen are voting threatening them with an “onslaught of negative campaign ads” if they do not vote a certain way.

The Disclose Act is a bill Obama said would change this before November’s midterm elections, requiring campaign ads to name their source of funding. Foreign contributors would also be restricted from spending money to influence American elections.

“Nobody is saying you can’t run the ads, just make sure the people know who, in fact is behind financing these ads,” he said.

Obama pushed Senate Republicans to discontinue efforts in preventing this measure from progressing and to vote to pass this legislation when it arrives at the Senate for vote Tuesday.

“This should not be a Democratic issue or a Republican issue, this is an issue that goes to whether or not we’re going to have a government that works for ordinary Americans, a government of, by and for the people,” Obama said. “That’s why these reforms are so important and that’s why I urge the Senate to pass the Disclose Act.”