ALBANY, N. Y. — Legislation to force the disclosure of the tax returns of presidential candidates and those seeking statewide office in New York has been blocked by Republicans who control the state Senate.

Republicans said the proposal was a Democratic publicity stunt to embarrass President Donald Trump, who won the November election despite refusing to disclose his income tax returns.

Advocates for the New York bill — similar measures are being debated in 28 states — argued the release of the financial data in tax returns would reveal whether those occupying the Oval Office or other high office stand to benefit personally from the policies they advance.

“We want to know what the president of the United States doesn’t want us to see,” said one of the measure’s co-sponsors, Sen. Tim Kennedy, a Democrat from western New York.

The New Jersey Legislature approved similar legislation last month. But it was vetoed Monday by Republican Gov. Chris Christie, a Trump ally who served on the president’s transition team.

The prognosis for the New York measure suggests it may never reach the governor’s desk in Albany. An effort by Senate Democrats to attach the measure to unrelated legislation was thwarted when Republicans concluded the tax disclosure proposal was “not germane.”

Republican Sen. Rob Ortt of North Towanda said Democrats everywhere are out to make political hay out of Trump’s refusal to share his tax returns with the public.

“This is something either presidents do or don’t do, and he didn’t,” Ortt said in an interview. “And he got elected. Obviously, some people care, and some don’t care.”

Trump, a New York City billionaire, has been asked numerous times since his election when his tax returns will be released.

Last week, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, in outlining Trump’s tax plan, told reporters that the president has “no intention” of making his returns public.

But over the weekend, Trump suggested in an interview with the CBS program “Face the Nation,” that the returns could be released once the government completes what he called a “routine” audit. He also said the release of his returns could come “soon.”

“I have been under audit, 12 or 13 or 14 years in a row,” Trump said in response to questions, according to a transcript released by CBS.

The New York legislation required the state Tax Department to release the state tax returns of any candidate who had filed with the state for the following offices: president, vice president, U.S. senator, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and comptroller.

Joe Mahoney is the CNHI state reporter in Albany, New York. Contact him at jmahoney@cnhi.com.