Washington, D.C. — Today, Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) helped introduce the Preventing Foreign Interference in American Elections Act alongside Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN).
The legislation:
- Prevents circumvention of the ban on “indirect” election-related contributions by foreign nationals by expressly covering any donation with an express or implied instruction (including involving intermediaries or conduits) that results in the donation being used for prohibited U.S. election-related activity.
- Prohibits foreign-national contributions for ballot harvesting, get-out-the-vote activity, public communications that promote a political party, or “Zuckerbucks”-type election administration activity.
- Bars foreign nationals from donating in connection with state ballot initiatives.
- Prohibits overbroad investigations or pretextual government collection or disclosure of Americans’ nonprofit donor information for the purpose of intimidation or chilling Americans’ free-speech rights.
The legislation is also co-sponsored by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and Roger Marshall (R-KS).
Senator Budd said in a statement:
“Restoring institutional trust in our elections is one of the most important issues we face, and stopping foreign influence is a significant concern. Foreign nationals should not be allowed to improperly tip the scales in U.S. elections in any way, and I’m glad to join Senator Hagerty’s legislation to stop it.”
Senator Hagerty said:
“After years of hysteria over Russiagate and alleged foreign influence in American elections, it turns out Democrats have recently benefited from hundreds of millions of dollars in election-related contributions from a shadowy foreign billionaire, sidestepping the federal ban on foreign-national contributions in U.S. elections. This type of influence undermines democracy and self-government here in America, and its staggering scope should be alarming. I’m pleased to introduce this commonsense and critical legislation that will put an end to covert foreign influence on our elections and protect Americans’ voice in electing their leaders.”
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