Contact: Aaron White
Phone: 202-225-5506
Transparency policies stripped by Treasury Sec. Mnuchin will let political nonprofits off the hook in disclosing major donor identities
La Crosse – Today, U.S. Rep. Ron Kindcalled on U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and the IRS to reinstate policies requiring the disclosure of major donors for tax-exempt organizations, including politically active nonprofit groups. Sec. Mnuchin announced the decision Monday evening.
“If sunlight is the best disinfectant for the culture of corruption infesting our political process, I wonder what Secretary Mnuchin’s goal was in dismantling these important transparency policies,” said Rep. Ron Kind. “This move by the Treasury will undermine our ability to stop illegal and inappropriate political contributions, and will only strengthen the power of dark money and bribery in Washington. This is a far cry from what the American voter deserves and demands.”
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, nonprofit groups have been allowed to spend unlimited amounts of money on campaigns. Nonprofit groups that had donors contributing more than $5,000 a year were previously required to disclose the name, address and donation amounts of donors to the IRS. The IRS will no longer collect this information, limiting the transparency of money flowing into political campaigns.
Read the letter here.
