WASHINGTON — As the campaign for control of congress kicks into gear, Congressman Bryan Steil, R-Janesville, is pushing for passage of his Campaign Finance Transparency Act.
The legislation would tighten campaign finance rules to crack down on illegal and fraudulent donations.
“There’s a real problem with foreign money finding its way into U.S. elections. It’s illegal, but there’s very limited controls to actually prevent it from occurring,” Steil said.
Steil said campaign finance laws need to be updated for the digital age. The legislation would require a donor’s name to match their credit card and prohibit contributions from gift cards. It passed unanimously out of the House Administration Committee, which Steil chairs.
“We want people to participate in the process, but to do it in a safe way and in a fair way, and one that is transparent to people,” said Rep. Joe Morelle, D-New York.
For years, Steil has been investigating the security protocols of ActBlue, a fundraising platform for Democratic candidates, though ActBlue maintains that it has “robust security and verification policies.” In a blog post, ActBlue said its donor protections already meet or exceed what Steil’s legislation proposes.
“If Rep. Steil’s concern is truly about protecting elections, one would expect the same scrutiny to apply to WinRed,” the post reads.
WinRed, a fundraising platform for Republican candidates, did not return requests for comment.
In April, the New York Times reported that ActBlue may have misled Congress on vetting foreign donations. And last year, the Associated Press reported that several donations to President Donald Trump through WinRed were potentially problematic.
When asked if he’s just as concerned about foreign donations slipping into WinRed as he is with ActBlue, Steil said, “Our legislation today applies equally to all campaign finance platforms. Period. Full stop.”
The CEO of ActBlue will answer questions from lawmakers in Steil’s committee on June 10.
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