January 8, 2009
Posted: January 8th, 2009 04:33 PM ET
From CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand
Even though he has less than two weeks left in office, Pres. Bush figured in the legislation passed by Congress Thursday.
(CNN) - Two of the first bills passed by the 111th Congress yesterday had less to do with the incoming president than they did with the man he’s replacing. One measure would amend the Presidential Records Act of 1978 to overturn President Bush’s 2001 executive order that extended the length of time that presidential records can remain sealed. The other would require full fundraising disclosure for presidential libraries. The lack of an existing requirement became an issue for former President Bill Clinton when his wife Hillary Clinton was tapped to serve as Obama’s secretary of state. The former president eventually opted to release the full list of donors and the size of their donations.
Both the measures, introduced by House Oversight and Government Reform committee chairman Edolphus Towns of New York, passed by overwhelming majorities. The bills have the strong support of Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee chairman Joe Lieberman, who has publicly called on Bush to make both his records and the full list of contributors to his presidential library open to the public. Similar efforts, pushed by former Oversight chairman Henry Waxman, drew overwhelming support in the House, but did not make it through the Senate, and did not have the support necessary to override a likely presidential veto. Filed under: Congress President George W. Bush |
The latest political news from CNN's Best Political Team, with campaign coverage, 24-7. Sign up for our twice daily Ticker emails. Got a news tip or feedback? For complete political coverage, bookmark CNNPolitics.com. CNN=Politics Screensaver
New in the Ticker
Categories
Archive
Popular Posts
|
Loading weather data ...