I am guessing that most of us don't care that the Senate failed to begin debate on the DISCLOSE act. This is a bill that Sen. Reid has asked the Senate to bring up 4 different times lately. All 4 times the Senate said NO. I think I would be right if I said that Americans care about the Senate DISCLOSING their views on other pieces of legislation. How about DISCLOSING how the Senate would vote on some of these bills:
--The Senate Budget resolution. A annual Budget is required by law to be passed each year. Yet the Senate Democrats have not DISCLOSED to the American people a budget resolution in the last 3 years
--Appropriations bills. These bills are required to fund all of our federal agencies and this legislative task is explicitly described in our Constitution as a "to-do" for Congress. The Senate Democratic Leader has announced that the Senate will not DISCLOSE to the American people how Senators will vote on any of these 12 bills that fund our entire federal government
--An extension of the Bush tax cuts. The Senate Democratic Leader objected last week to my request to have the Senate DISCLOSE to the American people how Senators would vote to extend all or some of the expiring tax provisions that will cause dozens of tax provisions to expire and thus lead to tax increases beginning in Jan. of 2013
--The defense authorization bill. For over 50 years the Senate has passed an annual authorization bill for our defense department. The defense community and our men and women in the armed forces deserve to have their Senators DISCLOSE to them how they would vote on the hundreds of policies that run our department of defense
--A vote to keep the child tax credit from being cut in half. This significant tax deduction for families will disappear in Jan. The American people want the Senate to DISCLOSE how they would vote on cutting the child tax credit
--A vote to patch the Alternative minimum tax. 30 million taxpayers will have to pay a new and additional tax if this AMT is not delayed or "patched". The American people want the Senate to DISCLOSE how Senators would vote on taxing 30 million new Americans beginning in 2013
--A vote to reimburse doctors when they see Medicare patients. The American people and the medical community want the Senate to DISCLOSE how they would vote to fully reimburse doctors for seeing Medicare patients or to cut their reimbursement rate 23% beginning in Jan. of 2013
--A bill to address the across-the-board $1.2 trillion spending sequester. The Senate Democratic Leadership has DISCLOSED that they will insist that these cuts go into effect in January unless the Republicans agree to raise taxes on Americans making over $200,000.
Let's DISCLOSE to the American people how the United States Senate will handle these vital policy questions that effect every American household and every American business. Then maybe the Senate republicans would be ready to vote to proceed to the DISCLOSE act, which requires certain disclosure of campaign contributions. Which DISCLOSURE do you want the United States Senate reveal?
The Honorable Elizabeth B. Letchworth U.S.Senate Secretary for the Majority/Minority (retired) Senior Legislative Advisor Covington & Burling, LLC Owner-Founder of GradeGov.com 202-365-0669 (direct)
