UPDATE: Second Senator Had Hold on Transparency Bill

And we have a good idea who

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Days before Congress recessed for the month of August, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, which was sponsored by Senators Tom Coburn and Barack Obama, was blocked from floor consideration by an anonymous senator. Since that time reporters and bloggers have sought to find out who it was.

On the heels of yesterday’s disclosure that Senator Ted Stevens, the Alaska Republican, was the culprit, Mother Jones has learned that a second senator was impeding the bill – Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV). According to Byrd’s office, the senator released his hold earlier today; Byrd blocked the bill because he felt that the legislation was moving through the senate too fast.

Byrd, known for being an outspoken critic of the Iraq war and President Bush, has always been a strong lobbyist for the coal industry, which is largely based in West Virginia.

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And the essential ingredient that makes all this possible? Readers like you.

It’s reader support that enables Mother Jones to devote the time and resources to report the facts that are too difficult, expensive, or inconvenient for other news outlets to uncover. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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