Opinion: Still opaque on the Hill

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These are hard times for transparency about how—and from whom—members of Congress are raking in campaign funds.

In the Senate, an objection from a mysterious Republican senator has prevented a vote on a proposal by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and others to require that senators file their campaign reports electronically, as House members do. This week Feinstein wrote to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) trying to flush out possible amendments that Republicans might want to offer, though it’s hard to imagine what they would be.

On another front, it’s the House that’s lagging behind the Senate. Earlier this year senators approved a measure to require the disclosure of “bundling” of campaign contributions by lobbyists. This is the practice in which fund-raisers collect and then take credit for campaign contributions by individuals. Concerns in the House Democratic Caucus have slowed approval of bundling disclosure. In this case, it’s Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) who needs to get the message.