WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1), along with Congressman Jared Golden (ME-2), introduced the Stop Foreign Funds in Elections Act—bipartisan legislation to prohibit foreign nationals from influencing American elections at any level—including state and local ballot initiatives, referenda, and recall elections. 

While foreign nationals are already barred from contributing to candidate campaigns, current law does not explicitly prohibit them from financing issue-based ballot measures. The Stop Foreign Funds in Elections Act closes this dangerous loophole by extending federal prohibitions to every aspect of our electoral system—ensuring that foreign adversaries cannot use indirect channels to sway public policy or manipulate outcomes.

“American people. Foreign nationals have no place influencing our laws, our ballots, or our future. Whether it’s a presidential race or a local referendum, every taxpayer-funded election must be protected from foreign interference. This bipartisan legislation closes a dangerous loophole and sends a clear message: our democracy is not for sale,” said Fitzpatrick.

“Foreign nationals should never be able to buy influence in state and local elections, but that’s exactly what current campaign finance laws allow,” Golden said. “I’ve long been proud to partner with Rep. Fitzpatrick on making America’s political process cleaner and fairer, and this bipartisan bill would nationalize another one of Maine’s important reforms: banning foreign contributions in all elections.”

This legislation amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit foreign contributions in connection with any federal, state, or local ballot measure or recall election. It ensures that taxpayer-funded elections are shielded from foreign money, foreign manipulation, and foreign agendas.

Read the text of the bill here.

Fitzpatrick’s Continued Election Reform Leadership

Congressman Fitzpatrick has long been at the forefront of bipartisan efforts to strengthen election integrity and restore public trust in government. In the 118th Congress, Fitzpatrick and Golden introduced similar legislation, which passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Administration.

The Stop Foreign Funds in Elections builds on Fitzpatrick’s sweeping election reform agenda, including:

• The Let America Vote Act – Guarantees the right to vote in all taxpayer-funded elections for U.S. citizens, regardless of political affiliation, and prohibits non-citizen voting.
• The AI Ads Act – Bans the use of artificial intelligence to impersonate candidates or mislead voters.
• The CLEAN Elections Act – Ends partisan gerrymandering by requiring independent redistricting commissions.
• The Bipartisan Restoring Faith in Government Act – Prohibits members of Congress and their families from trading individual stocks.
• The Restoring Faith in Elections Act, Securing Our Elections Act, and Election Day Act – Establish uniform national standards for voter ID, absentee ballots, election security, and create a federal holiday for Election Day.

Through these commonsense, bipartisan reforms, Congressman Fitzpatrick continues to lead the fight to protect every American vote, defend democratic institutions, and ensure our elections remain free from foreign interference and political manipulation.

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