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On the 13th (local time), the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill restricting the funding of state and local political elections and ballot initiatives to U.S. citizens only. 

The "Protecting American Voters Act," introduced by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), aims to prevent foreign funds from influencing the way U.S. elections are conducted and how ballot initiatives are selected.

Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI), a proponent of the bill, told his colleagues ahead of Monday’s vote, "Foreign money should not be influencing or funding referendums, plebiscites, or recall elections."

He stated, "Current law already prohibits foreign money from entering federal elections, and this bill extends these bipartisan, common-sense prohibitions to similar state and local elections," adding, "Elections should be determined by the American people and should not be subject to foreign influence or financial support."

As recently as 2024, foreign billionaires have supported progressive ballot initiatives related to abortion access and automatic voter registration in several states, including Ohio, Arizona, and Nevada, through non-profit "dark money" organizations like the Sixteen Thirty Fund.

With the midterm elections fast approaching, the Republican-led Congress is intensifying efforts to reform or reshape election funding and electoral laws, arguing that current federal and state-level election regulations are insufficient to protect the integrity of elections and prevent fraud.

This bill is intertwined with the "SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) Act," which has been stalled in Congress for some time. This is because there are ongoing efforts to find a breakthrough after the passage of the SAVE Act was blocked by a Senate filibuster, given the reality that federal elections must be conducted in accordance with state election laws determined by state legislatures.

Some Republican lawmakers have blocked the processing of major bills over the past few weeks, insisting that the leadership must pass the SAVE Act by any means necessary. The SAVE Act mandates proof of U.S. citizenship for federal voter registration, requires a photo ID for voting, and stipulates that state governments must remove non-citizens from voter rolls.

U.S. NNP = Representative Reporter Seong-Goo Hong / Exclusive Special Correspondent for this publication info@newsandpost.com