[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 108 (Wednesday, June 27, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E936-E937]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               REFUSE ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 27, 2018

  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.

[[Page E937]]

  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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