On February 2, 2005, Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Russell Feingold (D-WI), and Representatives Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Marty Meehan (D-MA)--and two key Senators, Republican Trent Lott (R-MS) and Democrat Charles Schumer (D-NY) re-introduced legislation in Congress to stop section 527 organizations from illegally spending millions of soft-dollars to influence federal elections. However, the 527 legislation introduced by Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) to create a rift in the Senate Republican leadership. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) is expected to support it because of his strong ties to the White House, and President Bush has said that he would support legislating curbs on the tax-exempt groups that attacked him ferociously in the last election. But Senate Assistant Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is an ardent opponent of campaign-finance restrictions and could try to torpedo the bill, even if Frist gets behind it. For more information on BCRA and 527s.