Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.) joined Senator Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and several of his Senate Republican colleagues in reintroducing the Preventing Foreign Interference in American Elections Act to prevent foreign nationals from improperly influencing American elections.
“Foreign nationals should not meddle in American elections. I am proud to stand with Senator Hagerty in introducing commonsense legislation to ensure free and fair elections by eliminating foreign influences that seek to undermine our electoral process,” said Senator Budd.
“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 reintroduce 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,” said Senator Hagerty.
Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Kennedy (R-La.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) also co-sponsored the legislation.
Read the full bill text HERE.
BACKGROUND
The Preventing Foreign Interference in American Elections Act would:
- 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, and public communications that promote a political party;
- Bars foreign nationals from donating in connection with state ballot initiatives; and
- 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.
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