House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) and other top House Republicans are warning President Barack Obama not to issue a proposed executive order requiring disclosure of political donations by federal contractors, calling it "a blatant attempt to intimidate, and potentially silence, certain speakers who are engaged in their constitutionally protected right to free speech."
The proposal, which has not been formally introduced by Obama yet, would require big federal contractors and their top corporate officers and directors, to disclose their political donations, even to outside groups involved in "independent expenditure" campaigns. Business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are already infuriated by the move, and GOP congressional leaders in both chambers have come out against the initiative.
"Given that the Federal Election Campaign Act currently regulates the funding and reporting of political speech in federal campaigns, and existing statutes and regulations govern the performance and business practices of federal contractors, it is very difficult for us to find any compelling justification for the new reporting requirements that would be required by this proposed EO," McCarthy and other top House Republicans said in a letter to Obama on Friday.