The U.S. Department of Labor has released a new transparency tool designed to help union members and the public track how approximately $11 billion in union dues are spent annually, including expenditures on political activities.

The tool's launch comes as a new Politico poll reveals widespread public concern about the role of money in American politics. The survey, released Saturday, found that 72 percent of Americans believe there is too much money in U.S. politics, while only 5 percent disagreed with that assessment.

The Labor Department's initiative aims to provide greater visibility into how labor unions allocate member dues across various activities, including organizing efforts, member services, and political advocacy. Union spending has long been subject to federal reporting requirements, but the new tool appears designed to make this information more accessible to the general public.

The timing of the transparency tool's release coincides with broader national discussions about campaign finance and political spending. The poll results suggest that concerns about money in politics span across party lines, though specific breakdowns by political affiliation were not detailed in the available polling data.

Both union transparency and campaign finance reform have been recurring themes in political discourse, with various stakeholders calling for increased oversight of how organizations spend money on political activities.