Congressional Democrats on Wednesday introduced legislation aimed at blocking foreign-owned or foreign-influenced U.S. companies from making political contributions — a practice they argue has been permitted under the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United ruling.
The bill, dubbed the Get Foreign Money out of U.S. Elections Act, was introduced by Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I. It had more than 65 Democratic cosponsors in the House and 11 in the Senate upon introduction, though it faces long odds of passage with Republicans controlling both chambers.
The legislation would establish foreign ownership thresholds to determine which U.S.-registered corporations should be prohibited from contributing to campaigns, ballot initiatives, and referendums.
Under the proposal, business entities located outside the United States in which 50% or more of voting shares, total equity, or membership units are owned by foreign nationals would be barred from making political contributions. For entities located within the United States, the threshold would be lower — a single foreign national owning or controlling as little as 1% of voting shares, total equity, or membership units would be sufficient to trigger a prohibition.
It is already illegal for foreign nationals to contribute directly to U.S. elections. Raskin and Whitehouse's bill would extend that prohibition to certain U.S.-incorporated companies based on their foreign ownership structure.
"The Roberts Court's reckless decision in Citizens United continues to spell disaster for American democracy, allowing oligarchs and autocrats around the world to wield their influence over our elections and undermine our institutions," Raskin said in a statement.
Whitehouse offered a similarly pointed assessment. "Thanks to the disastrous Citizens United decision, foreign actors can exploit the same corrupting dark money channels that allow unlimited corporate spending," he said. "We should get rid of the damned stuff entirely, but this bill would at least safeguard our democracy from foreign adversaries influencing American elections from the shadows."
The Citizens United decision, issued by the Supreme Court in January 2010, enabled corporations and outside groups to spend unlimited sums on U.S. elections. Democrats have long sought to curtail its reach, and Raskin and Whitehouse led a nearly identical bill during the 118th Congress — one that never received a floor vote in either chamber.
The new push comes as foreign equity in U.S. companies has risen significantly since the 1990s, reinforcing Democratic concerns about the vulnerability of the country's campaign finance system to outside influence.
It also follows the Supreme Court's June 2026 decision striking down limits on the amount political parties can spend in coordination with candidates — a ruling that further expanded the terrain of permissible campaign spending.
The bill arrives alongside separate, bipartisan movement on a narrower front. Earlier this month, the House passed legislation led by Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Jared Golden, D-Maine, that would prohibit foreign contributions in local ballot initiatives, referendums, and recall elections. The Senate has not yet voted on that measure.
"The ballot is the instrument by which a free people govern themselves. No foreign government, foreign national, or foreign interest should have a hand in deciding the laws Americans live under," Fitzpatrick said in a statement after House passage.
With Republicans holding the majority in both chambers, the Get Foreign Money out of U.S. Elections Act is not expected to advance to a floor vote this Congress — positioning it primarily as a messaging vehicle heading into the midterm cycle.
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