Cortez Masto calls for increased transparency in presidential inauguration committees

With nearly a year until the 2025 presidential inauguration, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada) will increase transparency about how the Presidential Inaugural Committee will use the funds raised. I'm asking you to.

“The next presidential inauguration is a year away, but we need to make sure the American people know who is donating to the inaugural committee and how that money is being used,” Cortez Masto said in a statement. , we need to take safety measures.”

of invoice, The bill, entitled the Inaugural Committee Transparency Act, would increase oversight and disclosure of donations and how they are distributed by presidential inaugural committees. Cortes Masto hopes this will prevent misuse of commission funds.

“No matter who the president is, it is past time for us to close the loopholes and help these commissions not become instruments of corruption and ‘pay-to-play’ politics,” she said. .

Unlike electoral commissions, which are prohibited from receiving direct donations from corporations, establishment committees can now receive unlimited funds from virtually anyone, including corporations.

Under the proposed bill, the inaugural committee would be required to disclose to the Federal Election Commission the name and address of each individual who made a payment of $200 or more, as well as the purpose of the payment.

Donations on behalf of others or personal use of donations are also prohibited, and any remaining funds must be donated to charity within 90 days of the inauguration.

The Nevada Democratic Party first raised the alarm on the issue in 2019 amid reports that former President Trump's inaugural committee had misused some funds. The committee raised more than $100 million during its 2017 inaugural event, much of it from billionaire megadonors.

That far exceeds the nearly $62 million raised by President Biden's inaugural committee, which was largely funded by corporations and wealthy donors. But Biden's numbers are higher than former President Obama's, whose inaugural committee raised about $53 million for his 2009 inauguration and about $43 million for his second inauguration in 2013.

Federal prosecutors in New York launched an investigation and subpoenaed the former president's committee to produce documents about its donors, finances and activities.

The District of Columbia's attorney general has also launched an investigation into the founding committee.attorney general's office filed a lawsuit In 2020, he filed a lawsuit against the commission, alleging that it misused nonprofit funds and conspired with the Trump family to overpay for event space at the Trump International Hotel. added later File a lawsuit with the Trump Organization.

The former president's organization and founding committee reached an agreement in May 2022, agreeing to pay the District of Columbia $750,000 to be spent on three nonprofit organizations.

Introduction of Cortez Mast invoice A bill with a nearly identical name was introduced in the Senate in 2019, but it was referred to the Judiciary Committee.

Democratic Reps. John Sarbanes of Maryland and Mary Gay Skannorn of Pennsylvania announced in November that they would require full disclosure of spending and contributions above a certain amount and cap contributions at $50,000. A similar bill has been introduced that would restrict it. The title of the bill is First fund integrity lawreferred to the committee.