FIRST ON FOX: House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., introduced a legislative package on Monday designed to improve transparency and security in campaign finance as a major Democratic payment processor faces scrutiny over foreign donations.

Steil’s package includes two bills: The Campaign Finance Transparency Act and the Preventing Foreign Influence in American Elections Act, Fox News Digital learned. The first piece of legislation would impose a suite of new transparency regulations on organizations that process political donations, such as ActBlue, while the second proposed law seeks to prevent foreign nationals from funding election-related activities through means other than campaign contributions. 

A spokesman for Steil confirmed to Fox News Digital that they plan to expedite consideration of these bills through the administration committee. 

«My investigation into ActBlue has demonstrated that the current campaign finance laws weren’t drafted for the modern era we live in,» the congressman told Fox News Digital. «The major gaps we’ve uncovered are being exploited by fraudsters and foreign nationals to make illegal political donations. For example, right now an individual can easily make a fraudulent donation online in someone else’s name and avoid getting caught. That’s an unacceptable vulnerability that bad actors are taking advantage of.»

DEM FUNDRAISING GIANT ACTBLUE ROCKED BY ALLEGATIONS IT MISLED CONGRESS ABOUT FOREIGN DONATIONS

ActBlue is under increased scrutiny from congressional Republicans after the New York Times in April reported, citing leaked internal memos, that the payment processor’s lawyers warned that it may have misled Congress regarding its efforts to stop foreign nationals from donating to American politicians.

«It can be alleged that ActBlue accepted and/or facilitated the acceptance of foreign-national contributions into American elections,» one memo reportedly stated. «In addition, because ActBlue’s staff was aware that its system was not as robust as necessary, it could be alleged that these violations were ‘knowing and willful,’ a standard that both increases the penalties the F.E.C. might seek and gives the Justice Department jurisdiction for a potential criminal investigation.»

Fox News Digital has not independently confirmed the content of the ActBlue legal memos. ActBlue has denied breaking any laws, saying that its statements to Congress were rigorously reviewed by lawyers before being submitted, and characterized Republican inquiries as partisan in nature. 

WinRed, the conservative equivalent to ActBlue, would also be covered by the laws if they pass. An Associated Press investigation in May 2025 found that Trump’s campaign reports listed citizenship as «verified» for two of more than 200 donors living abroad who contributed to him, many through WinRed.

WinRed and ActBlue did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday.

Exterior view of ActBlue offices building with glass windows and signage. (Getty Images)

ACTBLUE SUES TEXAS AG KEN PAXTON, ALLEGING POLITICAL RETALIATION OVER DEMOCRATS’ FUNDRAISING

Republicans have long argued that making donations with gift cards allows individuals to more easily conceal their identities while making illegal contributions. ActBlue’s lawyers also claimed, according to the memos viewed by the Times, that the payment processor sometimes failed to collect verification documents from donors residing in foreign countries to ensure they could legally make contributions.

Steil’s Campaign Finance Transparency Act will, among other things, prohibit political donations made using gift cards, require the name on a credit or debit card to match that of a prospective campaign donor and mandates the verification of citizenship or permanent resident status for donors without an American mailing address.

ActBlue, according to a letter it sent to Congress in April, no longer processes donations originating from outside the United States. The processor previously prompted foreign donors to input their passport number when making donations using credit or debit cards, per the letter.

Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., speaks during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on oversight of the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve’s pandemic response in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 2, 2020. (Greg Nash/Pool/Reuters)

STATE CONSERVATIVES DEMAND ACTION ON NONCITIZEN VOTING: ‘TIME FOR CONGRESS TO LISTEN’

Conservatives have also, in recent years, argued that foreign nationals are influencing American elections in ways beyond traditional campaign contributions.

Steil’s Preventing Foreign Influence in American Elections Act seeks to stop foreign donors from funding election-related activities such as ballot harvesting, voter registration initiatives and the commissioning of polls. The law would also bar foreign nationals from helping to pay for the administration of state or local elections.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

ActBlue is fighting back against its conservative critics. The platform, for instance, sued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is investigating it, on May 1, alleging that he is abusing his office by engaging in a politically motivated legal action against it.

The district judge handling the case recently wrote that «the court is tentatively of the opinion» that ActBlue will «likely to prevail on some, if not all, elements» of the first part of their legal complaint, which accuses Paxton of violating ActBlue’s First Amendment rights by allegedly targeting it for engaging in constitutionally protected political activity.

Embattled Soros-backed prosecutor Steve Descano is facing scrutiny again, this time for dismissing a Justice Department probe into allegations that he gave favorable deals to illegal immigrants, calling it one of President Donald Trump’s «partisan attacks.»

Jennifer Harrison, head of the Victim Rights Reform Council, responded to Fairfax County, Virginia, Commonwealth’s Attorney Descano’s claim by writing on X, «Hey scumbag … This has NOTHING to do with President Trump and it’s not going to be the fundraising tool you thought it would – no Soros blood money for you today.»

The DOJ opened a «pattern or practice» civil rights investigation into Descano last week, examining whether his office violated federal law by weighing «immigration consequences» in charging decisions and plea deals, amid an ongoing spate of violent crime in Fairfax County involving illegal immigrants.

Victim Rights Reform Council requested that the DOJ launch an investigation on behalf of Cheryl Minter, whose daughter, Stephanie Minter, was fatally stabbed at a bus stop earlier this year, allegedly by Abdul Jalloh, a 32-year-old illegal immigrant from Sierra Leone.

DOJ OPENS INVESTIGATION INTO SOROS-BACKED DA ACCUSED OF SHIELDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM CONSEQUENCES

Descano responded to the DOJ investigation through spokeswoman Laura Birnbaum, who wrote in a statement that «this investigation is the latest example of the Trump administration’s own ‘pattern or practice’ of misusing the Justice Department to launch partisan attacks.»

Birnbaum said the «DOJ’s letter announcing the investigation distorts the office’s policy,» which she said has «been in place publicly for over five years – and happened to arrive just a week before Commonwealth’s Attorney Descano is set to testify before Congress.»

Descano, whose entry into political office was propelled by a massive $627,653 donation from the Soros family’s Justice and Public Safety PAC, is set to testify before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement on Thursday.

The hearing is titled «Fairfax County, Virginia: The Dangerous Consequences of Sanctuary Policies.» County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid will also testify, along with Minter, former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican, and Virginians for Safe Communities President Sean Kennedy.

SOROS-BACKED DA’S LAX ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION POLICIES LED TO ‘PREVENTABLE’ BUS STOP STABBING MURDER: COMPLAINT

Abdul Jalloh, 32, is accused of killing Stephanie Minter, 41, at a bus stop in Virginia. (Fairfax County Police Department; provided)

Birnbaum insisted, «Our office’s policies are fair, legal, and reflect the values of Fairfax County.»

She said Descano’s office «will not be distracted from our mission of keeping this community safe and holding individuals accountable when they commit crimes.»

In response, Harrison said the civil rights investigation was initiated after a request from a victim’s loved one.

«Hey scumbag – Cheryl Minter, mother of Stephanie filed the complaint that initiated the investigation. I know bc I filed it on her behalf,» wrote Harrison.

She continued, «We are also well aware that your deadly and disastrous policies were in place for quite some time – if not Cheryl’s daughter Stephanie would still be alive which is why we filed the complaint and asked for this investigation.»

DEM GOVERNOR UNDER FIRE AFTER ILLEGAL ALIEN ALLEGEDLY STABS WOMAN TO DEATH AT BUS STOP: ‘HEINOUS’

Harmeet K. Dhillon speaks at the IAC National Summit 2026 at The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Fla., on Jan. 17, 2026. (Noam Galai/Getty Images)

In another X post, Harrison called the victim’s mother «an amazing, brave woman,» writing, «We cannot bring Stephanie back but we can make sure this does not keep happening in her honor.»

Fox News Digital reached out to Descano’s office for comment.

In a press release following Minter’s death, the Department of Homeland Security claimed that Descano’s office had been warned about Jalloh and the danger he posed to the public ahead of Minter’s death.

Last week, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the investigation into Descano would zero in on his plea bargaining, charging decisions and sentencing policies.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

«Under my leadership, the Civil Rights Division will not allow local prosecutors to pick and choose winners based on their immigration status,» said Dhillon, adding, «This investigation will uncover whether this prosecutor is putting the community at risk in offering sweetheart deals to illegal immigrants charged with serious crimes.»

Fox News Digital also reached out to the DOJ and White House for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Leo Briceno and Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.

Soldados estadounidenses participando en un entrenamiento de maniobras conjuntas durante el ejercicio militar «Freedom Shield» entre Corea del Sur y Estados Unidos, celebrado en Yeoncheon (Corea del Sur) en marzo de 2026. Crédito… Jung Yeon-Je/Agence France-Presse

Caminar con precaución