White House opposes bid to end public funding
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is voicing strong opposition to legislation being pushed by House Republicans that would eliminate the public financing system for presidential elections.
The White House says in a statement that the public financing system needs to be fixed rather than dismantled and that the House bill, expected to be voted on Wednesday, would "force many candidates into an endless cycle of fundraising."
The public financing system has been used by every Republican presidential nominee from 1976 to 2008 and every Democratic nominee except President Barack Obama.
But the bill's sponsor, Oklahoma Republican Tom Cole, says only 7 percent of Americans support the program. He calls the presidential election campaign fund "the very definition of frivolous Washington spending."