House Democrats on Thursday offered a resolution that would overturn IRS guidance reducing donor disclosure requirements for some tax-exempt groups, a day after the Senate approved a measure to reverse the agency’s guidance.
The House resolution was introduced by Rep. David Price (D-N.C.) and is co-sponsored by several other Democratic lawmakers. It was offered under the Congressional Review Act, which gives Congress the opportunity to disapprove of recent regulatory items from federal agencies.
{mosads}Price, a vice chair of the House Democracy Reform Task Force, said he offered the resolution “to hold political groups accountable and shine a light on dark money in our elections.”
The Treasury Department and IRS released guidance in July that ends a requirement for certain tax-exempt groups to provide the IRS with the names and addresses of major donors on an annual basis. The guidance impacts issue-advocacy organizations, labor unions and business leagues.
The Trump administration and congressional Republicans say the guidance is necessary to protect taxpayers’ privacy and prevent them from being targeted for their political beliefs. While the IRS is not supposed to make the donor names and addresses public, there have been occasions where the information has become public.
Democrats fiercely opposed the guidance, arguing it will make it easier for foreign governments to influence U.S. elections through “dark money” donations.
On Wednesday, the Senate voted to overturn the guidance by a 50-49 vote, with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) joining Senate Democrats to disapprove of the IRS policy.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said that “joining the Senate to overturn this dangerous IRS guidance is a critical step toward ending the self-enrichment, secret money and special interests that threaten our democratic institutions and undermine the American people’s voice in our democracy.”
The House is not expected to vote this year to overturn the guidance, and Trump would likely veto any measure that would reverse the policy.
Democrats plan to make campaign-finance reform a top priority when they take control of the House next year. House Democrats are planning to offer a package that would include provisions to curb the role of money in politics.