Reform Groups Urge Democratic Leaders to Oppose Any Efforts to Kill Presidential Tax Checkoff System in Omnibus Spending Bill

Reforms groups sent a letter today enclosed below to President Barack Obama, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid urging them to block any last minute efforts to kill the presidential tax check off system in the Omnibus spending bill.

The reform groups include Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, CREW, Demand Progress, Democracy 21, Every Voice, League of Women Voters, Issue One, People For the American Way, Public Citizen and U.S. PIRG.

The full letter follows below.

Dear President Barack Obama, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi & Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid,

It is our understanding that last minute efforts may be pursued in the Omnibus bill to restore public financing for the presidential nominating conventions in return for taking away the funds currently in the presidential tax checkoff system.

House Republicans have tried to kill the presidential tax checkoff system in the past and take away its funds. These efforts have been opposed by President Obama and blocked by congressional Democrats.

We strongly urge you to block this last minute effort which would put the final nail in the coffin of the presidential public financing system rather than leave in place the opportunity to repair the system. This would also undermine the essential efforts being pursued to create a small donor, public matching funds system for congressional races.

The Super PAC financing of the 2016 presidential election clearly demonstrates the need to fix the presidential public financing the system, not destroy it. A repaired presidential funding system would engage millions of ordinary Americans in financing our presidential election rather than having presidential financing dominated by the Super Rich.

We strongly urge you to block any effort to kill the presidential tax checkoff system or to take away the money currently in the presidential tax checkoff fund.

Campaign Legal Center

Common Cause

CREW

Demand Progress

Democracy 21

Every Voice

League of Women Voters

Issue One

People For the American Way

Public Citizen

U.S. PIRG