Election transparency effort withers after initial progress

Joe Biden failed to enact legislation to bolster transparency in campaign finance during his presidency.

As a 2020 presidential candidate, Biden promised to mandate funding disclosure for groups that advocate for or against candidates for federal office. He also urged the creation of a single website to disclose who paid for online ads and what audiences they were targeting.

These goals were included in a bill that passed the House in 2021, when the chamber was under Democratic control. H.R. 1 passed the House in March 2021 with only Democrats voting in favor. 

In a 50-50 vote in June 2021, the Senate version of the bill fell 10 votes short of the 60 required to move forward. Backers couldn't persuade the chamber to agree to a carve-out to the 60-vote threshold for election-related bills.

The House's flip to Republican control in the 2022 election further hindered legislation to increase transparency, and the proposal didn't progress further in the final two years of Biden's term.

We rate this a Promise Broken.