Senators Marshall & Hagerty Reintroduce Legislation to Prevent Foreign Interests From Interfering in American Elections
Washington – On Thursday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), joined Senator Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee) and other Senate colleagues in re-introducing the Preventing Foreign Interference in American Elections Act, legislation aimed at closing loopholes that are exploited by foreign nationals to influence U.S. elections.
“American elections are only for American citizens,” said Senator Marshall. “Neither foreign countries nor their billionaires should be involved in or influencing our elections. The Preventing Foreign Interference in American Elections Act will help protect the integrity of and confidence in our elections by stamping out foreign influence. This legislation is a critical step toward ensuring that the outcomes of our elections are decided solely by the voices of the American people, and I am proud to stand alongside Senator Hagerty in introducing this bill.”
“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,” said Senator Hagerty. “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.”
The legislation is also co-sponsored by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Ted Budd (R-North Carolina), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Kennedy (R-Louisiana), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming).
Specifically, the bill will:
- Prevent the circumvention of bans on “indirect” election-related contributions by foreign nationals, by 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.
- Prohibit foreign-national contributions for ballot harvesting, get-out-the-vote activity, or public communications that promote a political party.
- Bar foreign nationals from donating in connection with state ballot initiatives.
- Prohibit overbroad investigations or pretextual government collection or disclosure of Americans’ nonprofit donor information for intimidation or chilling Americans’ free-speech rights.
The legislation was done in part as a response to cases like that of Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss, who has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars to Democrat-funding networks via intermediaries since 2016, including $141 million to boost Democrat candidates and left-wing priorities in the 2018 midterm elections, more than $135 million between 2016 and 2020 to a nonprofit that gave tens of millions to Super PACs that supported Joe Biden in 2020, and more than $265 million in total to one network that funds Democrat operations.
Click here to read the full text of the bill.
Background:
Senator Marshall has long fought to protect to integrity of American elections:
- Advocating for passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, legislation that would protect the integrity of our elections by requiring proof of American citizenship when registering to vote.
- Introducing the Demanding Citizenship in D.C. Elections Act, legislation that requires anyone who votes in a municipal election in the District of Columbia to be a U.S. Citizen and requires proof of citizenship.
- Joining Senator Hagerty and Congressman Andy Biggs (R-Arizona-05) in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, demanding that the Department of Justice (DOJ) prevent illegal aliens from registering to vote in U.S. elections.
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Contact: Payton Fuller
