Before Sen. Ted Cruz exited the Senate floor on Wednesday evening as the 16-day federal government shutdown was drawing to a close, the Texas Republican got one final dig in at the Obama administration. Cruz, a freshman lawmaker associated with the Tea Party movement, blocked the Senate from voting on the nomination of Tom Wheeler, a Democrat who is the White House’s choice to be chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. The Senate had been scheduled to vote on Wheeler’s nomination Wednesday. Why did Cruz do this? Because he opposes the DISCLOSE Act, a bill that would require super PACS, corporations, unions and other outside groups to disclose to the Federal Elections Commission when they spend more than $10,000 to air political campaign ads. Democrats and public interest groups have been urging passage of the bill as a way to bring greater transparency to political ad funding, but many conservative groups and lawmakers oppose the legislation. In April, Cruz and other GOP senators wrote a letter to the FCC saying the bill raises “grave constitutional concerns for speech protected by the First Amendment.” With the bill stalled, some Democrats have suggested that the FCC might be able to use its existing authority over TV broadcasters to require such disclosures. Cruz does not believe the FCC has such authority, and during Wheeler’s confirmation hearing in June before the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees the FCC, Cruz pressed the nominee on his views about whether the agency possesses such authority. Wheeler dodged the question, saying he needed more time to study the issue. Cruz made it clear at the time that he was willing to hold up the nomination until he is satisfied. business.time/2013/10/18/heres-why-sen-ted-cruz-is-blocking-fcc-nominee-tom-wheeler/
Posted on: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 13:23:20 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015