Date: October 28, 2019
From: Protect Democracy USA
Subject: House Passes SHIELD Act of 2019
Contact: Frank Knapp, 803-252-5733 (w), 803-600-6874 (c), protectdemocracyusa@gmail.com
House Passes SHIELD Act of 2019
Columbia, SC—This past Wednesday the U.S. House passed the SHIELD Act of 2019 that would help protect our nation’s elections from foreign interference. The vote was strictly along party lines with no Republican member of Congress voting in support of the bill.
The SHIELD Act of 2019 would (a two-page summary can be found here):
- Creates a duty to report illicit offers of campaign assistance from foreign governments and their agents.
- Helps prevent foreign interference in future elections by improving transparency of online political advertisements.
- Closes loopholes that allow foreign nationals and foreign governments to spend in U.S. elections.
- Restricts exchange of campaign information between candidates and foreign governments and their agents.
- Prohibits deceptive practices about voting procedures.
“It is incomprehensible and sad that the common-sense provisions in the SHIELD Act could not find support from even one Republican House member,” said Frank Knapp Jr., campaign coordinator of Protect Democracy USA. “Each Republican House member voting against the bill should be asked to defend their vote and why it appears that they have put partisan politics over protecting our democracy.”
“A healthy democracy is crucial to a sustainable free market in which entrepreneurs create businesses and jobs,” said Knapp. “The SHEILD Act includes much of what Congress needs to do and it certainly should not be considered controversial. The Senate needs to act on this or a similar bill quickly to protect our 2020 elections from foreign interference.”
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Protect Democracy USA is a national business campaign of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce.