Republican US senators on Thursday blocked legislation that would force political action committees and other organizations to reveal the identity of donors who offer $10,000 or more during the election campaign.
The upper house, where half of the senators are Republicans and the rest are Democrats, needed 60 votes in favor to end debate on the bill and put it to a vote.
In the vote, the bill received only 49 votes in favor, those of the Democrats, and 49 against, those of the Republicans.
Democrats wanted to pass the law on the grounds that big business and millionaires anonymously support or undermine candidates through these organizations, while Republicans defend the right to make political donations.
The Democratic leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, asked the senators to vote in favor “in the name of democracy and transparency in the elections”, and pointed out that one of the reasons for the dissatisfaction of the citizens with what is happening in the country is this kind of “dirty money”.
The bill was introduced by Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, and moving it forward has been a top priority for the party since the US Supreme Court passed a regulation in 2010 that allowed businesses and other interest groups to spend unlimited in federal elections.
Source: TSF
