Skip to main content

Congress’ Budget Deal Halts Political Disclosure Efforts

December 16, 2015

Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.), a leading House advocate for campaign finance reforms, said in an interview that the spending deal was, on the whole, a win for opponents of big-money politics — more because of what it did not include than what it did include.

Not only did they manage to keep out the rider to expand party spending, but they also headed off an effort to hamstring the longstanding system of public financing for presidential campaigns.

"Washington increasingly seems to be captured by big money donors and special interests, and the public wants us to draw the line," Sarbanes said. "And I think we were able to do that in a significant way by keeping those riders out. Obviously we would have like to have the other two riders excluded as well. … We'll continue to fight that battle."