Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02)
WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives on Monday unanimously passed the bipartisan Stop Foreign Funds in Elections Act, led by Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01). This bill would ban foreign nationals from making political contributions in state and local ballot initiatives and recall elections.
“In an increasingly divided world, free and fair elections offer a rare chance for positive civic engagement — foreign influence undermines that opportunity,” Golden said. “I’m proud the House took a major step to ensure our elections are not for sale and that American voters call the shots.”
“The ballot is the instrument by which a free people govern themselves,” Fitzpatrick said. “No foreign government, foreign national or foreign interest should have a hand in deciding the laws Americans live under. Today’s unanimous vote is an important step in our broader bipartisan work to protect the integrity of our elections, preserve the sovereignty of the American voter, and strengthen public faith in self-government. On this principle, there should be no division and no exception: American elections must be decided by American citizens alone. The Senate should now act with the same unity and send this bill to the president’s desk.”
While foreign nationals are already barred from contributing to candidate campaigns, current law does not prohibit them from financing issue-based ballot measures. The Stop Foreign Funds in Elections Act closes this loophole by amending the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to extend the prohibition to every aspect of our electoral system.
Maine is one of only 15 states to pass its own law banning foreign contributions in ballot initiatives.
Golden has fought to limit foreign influence in American elections during his time in Congress. In 2024, the Stop Foreign Funds in Elections Act was part of Golden’s Government Integrity and Anti-Corruption Plan, a set of 14 bills designed to prevent political leaders from leveraging their position for profit, increase transparency and reduce the influence of dark money and foreign interference in American democracy.
Read the text of the bill here.
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