For the second day in a row, the Senate failed to advance a new version of the DISCLOSE Act.
In a 53-45 vote, the Senate again blocked the measure requiring outside groups to disclose the names of donors who contribute $10,000 or more in a given election cycle. The legislation is an attempt to curb the impact of the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision.
The second vote was an attempt by Democrats to focus attention on the millions of outside dollars pouring into this year’s presidential election, as well as for competitive House and Senate contests.
On the Senate floor ahead of Tuesday’s vote, the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), called the new measure a “well-conceived, well-researched solution to this insufferable situation,” and criticized Senate Republicans for blocking the bill.
After failing to advance the bill in a procedural vote Monday, Whitehouse and other Senate Democrats held a “midnight vigil”, consisting of a series of speeches on the Senate floor to rail against the Senate minority.
“We are now in the midst of a Republican filibuster on the DISCLOSE Act—another Republican filibuster,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said on the floor. “Not one single Republican senator would join us in this effort to bring this bill to the floor for a debate, amendment and a vote.”
Earlier Tuesday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) slammed Whitehouse and the Senate Democratic leadership for not reaching across the aisle when crafting the legislation, calling the current bill a waste of the Senate’s time.