Analysis · Speech on a bill · beta

Joseph D. Morelle

Democrat on Stop Foreign Funds in Elections Act 2026-07-13

279 words · 12 sentences · 20 clauses

Statement grade

Average 76 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Procedure 6%Claims 58%Thanks 8%Positioning 6%The ask 22%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Madam Speaker, Procedure · 9 wordsI yield myself such time as I may consume.Procedure Madam Speaker, Claims · 138 wordsthis bipartisan bill, the Stop Foreign Funds in Elections Act, will close a loophole, as my colleague and friend, Mr. Steil, the chairman of the Committee on House Administration, has indicated, that currently allows foreign nationals to contribute to State and local ballot initiatives, ¹as well as recall referenda. This change is needed because the Federal Elections Commission previously determined that the Federal Election Campaign Act’s foreign national prohibition does not actually reach ballot initiatives that do not appear to be linked to an office-seeking candidate at the Federal, State, ²or local level. The FEC often sends legislative recommendations to Congress, adopted on a bipartisan basis, to update and strengthen our campaign finance regime. This very bill has been included in their recent recommendations.³ In fact, this bill is among the highest priority legislative recommendations from the FEC.⁴ Thanks · 22 wordsI thank the bill’s sponsor, Congressman Fitzpatrick, as well as the bill’s co-lead, Congressman Golden, for their important work on this issue.Thanks Positioning · 17 wordsI am glad to see the House taking seriously the risk of foreign interference in domestic elections.Positioning The ask · 16 wordsIn that spirit, I encourage my colleagues to consider other comprehensive democracy reforms to close loopholes.Vague promise Claims · 18 wordsHouse Democrats’ Freedom to Vote Act, ⁵which includes the DISCLOSE Act, would crack down on foreign campaign spending, ⁶The ask · 26 wordsand I think it is well past time for Congress to do something to stem the tide of dark money, including foreign money, in American elections.Off pointVague promise Claims · 5 wordsThis bill is a start, The ask · 12 wordsand I think I would continue to urge us to do more.Vague promise Madam Speaker, The ask · 8 wordsI encourage my colleagues to support the bill, Procedure · 8 wordsand I reserve the balance of my time.Procedure

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 79

5 of 12 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I yield myself such time as I may consume.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Thanks and tributes.What the tags mean “I thank the bill’s sponsor, Congressman Fitzpatrick,”Thanks: no claim, reason or ask.
Thanks and tributes.What the tags mean “as well as the bill’s co-lead, Congressman Golden, for their important work on this issue.”Thanks: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “I am glad to see the House taking seriously the risk of foreign interference in domestic elections.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “and I reserve the balance of my time.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 74

4 of 12 deductions are Relevance

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue. Measured against the bill under debate.

Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “In that spirit, I encourage my colleagues to consider other comprehensive democracy reforms to close loopholes.”Urges colleagues to consider other reforms beyond the bill under debate.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “House Democrats’ Freedom to Vote Act,”Promotes a different bill, the Freedom to Vote Act, instead of the one before the House.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “which includes the DISCLOSE Act, would crack down on foreign campaign spending,”Discusses the DISCLOSE Act and other legislation rather than this bill.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “and I think it is well past time for Congress to do something to stem the tide of dark money, including foreign money, in American elections.”Argues about dark money generally, a political point replacing discussion of the bill.

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 76

3 of 12 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

A promise with no date, no measure and no one responsible.What the tags mean “consider other comprehensive democracy reforms”No specific reform, actor, or measure is named for colleagues to consider.
A promise with no date, no measure and no one responsible.What the tags mean “do something to stem the tide of dark money”No concrete action, actor, or success condition is specified beyond ‘something’.
A promise with no date, no measure and no one responsible.What the tags mean “continue to urge us to do more”The commitment identifies no measure, actor, or standard for what ‘more’ means.

Claims · 6

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“currently allows foreign nationals to contribute to State and local ballot initiatives”Current federal law is interpreted as allowing foreign nationals to contribute to state and local ballot initiatives.search
2“the Federal Elections Commission previously determined that the Federal Election Campaign Act’s foreign national prohibition does not actually reach ballot initiatives”The FEC has previously determined that FECA’s foreign national prohibition does not cover ballot initiatives not linked to an office-seeking candidate.search
3“This very bill has been included in their recent recommendations”The Stop Foreign Funds in Elections Act is included among the FEC’s recent legislative recommendations to Congress.search
4“this bill is among the highest priority legislative recommendations from the FEC”The FEC has designated the Stop Foreign Funds in Elections Act among its highest-priority legislative recommendations.search
5“House Democrats’ Freedom to Vote Act”House Democrats introduced a bill called the Freedom to Vote Act.search
6“which includes the DISCLOSE Act”The House Democrats’ Freedom to Vote Act includes the DISCLOSE Act.search

Analyzed on 2026-09-15