Senate Votes to Let Federal Agents Take Part in Political Campaigns

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted Tuesday to allow IRS, CIA and FBI agents to participate in political campaigns, rejecting Republican attempts to maintain the status quo established in the 51-year-old Hatch Act.

On a 51-46 vote, the Senate rejected an amendment to exclude employees in the spy and tax agencies plus the Justice Department and the Federal Election Commission from a Democratic bill that removes most current restrictions on political activities by civil service and postal workers.

The amendment by Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) was one of three unsuccessful attempts Tuesday by Republicans to chip away at the union-sought revisions in the Hatch Act.

Dole contended that the entire bill amounts to a “pot of gold” for the Democratic Party because unionized public employees and their political action committees overwhelmingly favor Democrats.

Also defeated were GOP amendments to maintain a ban on federal workers holding office in the two political parties and delaying any changes in the Hatch law until after a campaign finance reform bill is enacted.

Dole has hinted that Republicans might try to attach major elements of their proposed campaign finance reform bill--such as a total abolition of PACs--to the Hatch Act revisions later this week.

The Hatch law now prohibits the nation’s 3 million federal civil service and postal workers from participating actively in politics. The Democratic bill would lift some restrictions so that federal employees could hold party offices and solicit campaign funds from their co-workers, but not from the general public.