Steil says the loopholes are too easy to abuse
House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil is moving to tighten the rules after his investigation into ActBlue exposed what he calls major gaps in the current campaign finance system. Steil introduced a package of bills aimed at transparency and security, saying the laws were written for a different era and are now being poked full of holes by fraudsters and foreign nationals. That is Washington speak for a system that can be gamed if someone knows which buttons to push. According to Steil, one of the biggest problems is that a person can make a fraudulent online donation in someone else’s name and slip through the cracks. Republicans say that is not just sloppy, it is a gift basket for bad actors.
The new bills target shady donation methods
The first bill, called the Campaign Finance Transparency Act, would ban political donations made with gift cards, require the name on a credit or debit card to match the donor, and demand proof of citizenship or permanent resident status for donors who do not have an American mailing address. Steil’s second bill, the Preventing Foreign Influence in American Elections Act, would block foreign donors from paying for election-related activity beyond direct campaign donations. That matters because conservatives have long warned that foreign money does not need to wear a campaign button to influence American politics. If the left wants to call basic verification “too much paperwork,” that is fine, but most hardworking Americans call it common sense.
ActBlue is under the microscope
ActBlue is facing heavy scrutiny after The New York Times reported, based on leaked internal memos, that its lawyers warned the company may have misled Congress about efforts to keep foreign nationals from donating to U.S. politicians. Fox News Digital said it has not independently confirmed the memos, and ActBlue denies breaking any laws. The group says its congressional statements were reviewed by lawyers and insists Republican investigations are partisan. Still, the allegations have given GOP lawmakers fresh fuel. Steil says the issue is not just one company, but a broken system that makes it too easy for illegal donations to hide in plain sight.
WinRed would be covered too
The proposed rules would also apply to WinRed, the conservative fundraising platform, if the bills pass. That detail matters because Republicans are not trying to build a one-sided advantage for their own team. They are arguing for cleaner elections across the board. An Associated Press investigation in May 2025 found that Trump campaign reports listed citizenship as verified for two of more than 200 donors living abroad who contributed through WinRed. Meanwhile, ActBlue told Congress in April that it no longer processes donations from outside the United States. Even so, Republicans say the bigger issue is not one company or one party, but a system that should not need a detective to do basic verification.
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