House Republican: White House wants to ‘reward cronyism’

“This order is a purely political act offered under the benign label of disclosure,” Issa said in a statement. “The order would not impose the same requirements on the labor unions or other organizations who support the President. Furthermore, it unnecessarily politicizes the procurement process.”

On Wednesday, the Senate’s top Republican said the order amounts to “an effort to silence or intimidate political adversaries’ speech through the government contracting system.” 

White House press secretary Jay Carney defended the effort, saying that the executive order was being drafted in the interest of “transparency,” and denied that any electoral politics was at play.

Carney said the president “believes very strongly” that taxpayers have a right to know how companies awarded government contracts are spending “in terms of political campaigns.”

“And his goal is transparency and accountability,” Carney said. “That’s the responsible thing to do when you’re handling
taxpayer dollars.”