HR7193-119

What This Bill Does

The Campaign and Election Accountability Act is a targeted campaign-finance enforcement bill. Current Federal Election Campaign Act section 319 prohibits foreign nationals from making certain contributions, donations, expenditures, independent expenditures, or disbursements in connection with U.S. elections, and prohibits people from soliciting, accepting, or receiving such contributions or donations. This bill adds a third prohibition: no person may knowingly help or assist a foreign national in violating that subsection. The amendment applies to contributions and donations made on or after enactment, so the practical change is to reach facilitators who knowingly assist foreign-national money entering U.S. election activity, even if they are not the foreign national donor or the recipient.

Who Benefits and How

U.S. voters, domestic campaigns, election-integrity officials, the Federal Election Commission, federal prosecutors, and campaigns following foreign-money rules benefit from a clearer enforcement hook against people who knowingly help foreign nationals violate the contribution and donation ban. The bill can make enforcement easier when a domestic intermediary, consultant, or organization assists a prohibited foreign-national transaction.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Political consultants, campaign staff, fundraising intermediaries, nonprofit political actors, online fundraising platforms, and donors must avoid knowingly helping foreign nationals violate FECA section 319. The Federal Election Commission and federal prosecutors must interpret and enforce the new assistance standard. Foreign nationals seeking to influence U.S. elections face greater risk if they rely on domestic helpers.

Key Provisions

• Adds a FECA prohibition on knowingly helping or assisting a foreign national in violating the foreign-national contribution and donation ban.
• Prohibits facilitator and intermediary assistance rather than only foreign-national donations or recipient acceptance.
• Applies the amendment to contributions and donations made on or after enactment.
• Limits the bill to election-related foreign money rather than rewriting the broader campaign-finance system.