“I want to pass a bill about election rules. This bill will stop people from other countries giving money to ballot initiatives and referenda. I don't want foreigners to interfere in our elections.”
What they said. What they meant.
Plain-language translations from Congress.
Recent debates
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House of Representatives
Stop Foreign Funds in Elections Act
A bill to close a loophole allowing foreign nationals to contribute money in U.S. ballot initiatives and referendums. Both parties agreed this shouldn't be allowed and broadly supported the bill, with some discussion of the importance of American elections being decided by American citizens only. No real disagreement.
“I want a bill to pass. It will stop people from other countries giving money to ballot initiatives and referenda. Right now they can do that. It's crazy but true. A group called Sixteen Thirty Fund funneled money into campaigns in Arizona, Nevada, and Ohio. We should all agree that's bad. Our elections should be for Americans only. I want all my colleagues to support this bill. I yield back my time.”
“This bill will close a loophole. Right now people from other countries can give money to some ballot initiatives. The Federal Elections Commission said that's allowed. They recommend we change the law. This bill will do that. I thank the sponsors and I encourage my colleagues to support this bill. I also want more laws to crack down on people giving money secretly in elections. This bill is a start. We should do more.”
“There is a big hole in our laws. People from other countries can give money to some of our elections. They can't give money to people running for office. But they can give money to ballot initiatives and recalls. Those are important too. That's bad. This bill will fix it. I thank the sponsor. We need to keep foreign money out of U.S. elections.”
“I think this bill is good. We need to do more. Billionaires and secret money hurt our elections. People don't trust the government. The Supreme Court made it worse. We must change how we run campaigns. I will work on this for a long time. The people should control the government, not outside money.”
“I want this bill to pass. It will close a loophole. Foreign money can influence some elections now. That is bad. State and local votes decide many things. This bill will keep foreign money out of those votes. This is not a partisan issue. All sides should want this. Our elections are for Americans, not foreign interests. I thank my partners on this bill. It is common sense. We need to protect our elections.”
“I support this bill. I thank the sponsors. I thank the chairman. I want this bill to pass. All members should vote yes. That is all.”
“I am happy this bill will pass. I thank my colleagues for working on it. All members should vote yes. That is all.”