Democracy Update

Labor Groups Call for Disclosure of Political Contributions by Government Contractors

Thirteen labor organizations, including CWA and the AFL-CIO, have written to President Obama calling on the president to sign an Executive Order that requires businesses that receive federal funding to fully disclose their political contributions.

The U.S. Supreme Court's disastrous decisions on money in politics have weakened our democracy by moving us toward a system where contribution limits are fully dismantled, restrictions on corporate and special interest campaign spending are eliminated, and sources of contributions are rarely, if ever, disclosed.

"An Executive Order requiring government contractors to disclose their political spending would reach at least 70 percent of the Fortune 100 companies – an important step in shedding light on the millions of dollars influencing our campaigns and elections," the labor groups wrote.

To lead the fight for transparency in these political contributions, they urged Obama to "sign an Executive Order requiring businesses that benefit from taxpayer dollars to disclose their political spending."

Read the full letter here.