This was a vote on a motion to recommit that would have required independent groups that fund campaign advertisements to disclose their financial donors. A motion to recommit with instructions is the minority's opportunity to torpedo or significantly change a bill before a final up-or-down vote on the measure. This motion was offered to legislation eliminating public funding for presidential elections. That bill was estimated to reduce the federal budget deficit by $617 million over ten years.

Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN) urged support for the motion to recommit, and argued it was necessary to ensure that campaign ads were not secretly funded by foreign corporate interests: “The idea that we should have our elections be influenced by undisclosed foreign money runs counter to everything in this nation's history…. I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, support this very simple motion to recommit to keep our elections fair, to keep the American people informed, and to keep this democracy in our hands, not foreign corporations.”

Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) urged opposition to the motion to recommit, arguing that its Democratic proponents were disingenuous and simply trying to sabotage the underlying bill: “There is a real attempt on the part of the proponents of this [underlying] bill… to try and save money…and the folks that are behind H.R. 359, the underlying bill, are ultimately saying we can save $617 million over a 10-year period…. So it comes down to a very simple thing. If you want to save the money, you defeat the amendment [motion to recommit]. If you want to play games on the day that we're all heading out [this vote came on the eve of a week-long Congressional recess], trying to act like you are full of transparency and openness, support the amendment.”

The House rejected this motion to recommit by a vote of 173-228. Voting “yea” were 172 Democrats and 1 Republican. 227 Republicans and 1 Democrat voted “nay.” As a result, the House rejected a motion to recommit that would have required independent groups that fund campaign advertisements to disclose their financial donors.