Refuse Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Repelling Encroachment by Foreigners into U.S. Elections (REFUSE) Act. As the costs of campaigns rise exponentially, the question remains: how much inappropriate foreign influence has risen as well?

Being a viable candidate in an American election requires an unprecedented amount of capital. Following Citizens United, which threw open the floodgates for billionaires and special interests to spend unlimited secret money on our elections, it's impossible to know exactly how much of that money comes from foreign nationals.

This bill will stop the free flow of foreign money into our elections through dark channels and increase transparency around foreign election influence.

It achieves this through two major reforms. First, the bill will prohibit election spending by foreign-influenced corporations and 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations at two thresholds of foreign ownership interest/funding: 20 percent for foreign nationals and a more strict 5 percent if those foreign parties are directly connected to foreign governments.

Second, the bill will modernize and tighten reporting requirements of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and expand the Department of Justice's FARA enforcement authority.

Look no further than the pervasive impact of Russian-sponsored political ads on Facebook to see why we need to maximize transparency. We must close the loopholes within our broken campaign finance system. Until we repeal Citizens United, we need common-sense restraints to ensure foreign interests do not influence American democracy, especially from the shadows.

Mr. Speaker, the REFUSE Act is a sharp tool crafted to combat the influence of money in politics and shine a spotlight in the deepest recesses of our election system. The American people consistently report campaign finance reform as one of their top concerns for Congressional action. It is time for this body to act seriously to illuminate the full reach of foreign and corporate special interests. This is the first step to restore the integrity of our democracy.

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