Politics

Obama trying to seal deal on campaign finance legislation

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House Democrats are mounting an all-out push to pass campaign finance legislation by Friday after divisions within their ranks derailed the bill last week.

With a boost from the White House, the party leadership touted polling data and said it had gathered more support from its rank-and-file members for a bill that would bolster disclosure requirements for corporate and union spending.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was forced to scrap a planned Friday vote on the legislation, known as the Disclose Act, after an exemption for the National Rifle Association (NRA) split the Democratic Caucus. After lawmakers left town with the bill’s prospects in doubt, the legislation’s chief sponsor, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), spent the weekend calling House members to try to salvage it. He also spoke with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), the author of a companion bill in the Senate, said a Democratic aide who described the effort as “an all-hands-on-deck” attempt to pass the bill.

The result on Monday was a coordinated effort to rebuild momentum for the Disclose Act, with the hope, the aide said, of passing it in the House by the end of the week.

Full Story: Obama trying to seal deal on campaign finance legislation – TheHill.com