WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, called the passage of a resolution of disapproval that would overturn a Treasury ruling that hides the identities of large donors from U.S. tax authorities, “a positive step that will restore some semblance of transparency in the flood of outside money in elections.” The rule change that the Senate voted to overturn would have opened the door to anonymous “dark money” donations and would have significantly hampered the ability of the IRS, law enforcement and police to track potential laundering of money through the political system. It also would have greatly increased the chance of foreign funds, which are banned from political donations, making their way into political organizations knowingly or unknowingly open to outside influences.

“Nearly unfettered injections of dark money into political campaigns drown out the voices of everyday Americans and pervert our system into ‘pay for play’ politics. Congress has a responsibility to the very people who elect us into office that the rules will be transparent and organizations will follow the law.  There was a time when getting money out of politics was a bipartisan goal. I was proud to see the Senate return to such a state even for a short time today.”

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