CUNA Works the Other Side of the Aisle

WASHINGTON – CUNA wasted little time after last month’s elections in reaching out with campaign contributions to Democrat leaders who will control both chambers of Congress next year. Federal Elections Commission reports filed Friday show CUNA contributed $5,000 to Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, who will chair the Senate Banking Committee, and to several congressional leadership PACs operated by the Democrats in the days right before or after the elections, including JOE PAC, for New York Congressman Joe Crowley ($1,000); Campaign for Maryland, for Maryland Congressman Wayne Gilchrest and IMPACT, a New York-based PAC financing Democrats ($2,500). CUNA and its state leagues helped build ties to key congressional leaders with almost $400,000 in contributions to leadership PACs during the elections. Leadership PACs allow special interest like CUNA to double the normal maximum allowable $10,000 contribution to lawmakers, with $10,000 allowed to their personal campaign fund and another $10,000 to their leadership PAC, and provide a vehicle for those lawmakers to finance private travel and entertainment and to funnel funds to their own political allies.