Sponsors (2)
The bill trades reduced outsized outside spending, corruption risk, and foreign influence and clearer enforcement for limits on large political spending and fundraising, increased compliance costs, and the likelihood of legal challenges.
Voters and taxpayers: The bill would curb outsized Super PAC and large-donor influence in federal elections, reducing the ability of a tiny set of wealthy donors to dominate political messaging and candidate support.
Voters and the public: Restoring contribution limits and restricting large independent spending would lower the risk of quid-pro-quo corruption and improve public confidence in the integrity of elections.
Taxpayers and national-security stakeholders: Reducing big, opaque contribution channels makes it harder for foreign actors to funnel funds into U.S. elections through third parties, lowering a pathway for foreign interference.
Donors, advocacy groups, and some candidates: New legal limits and caps will reduce the ability to make or accept large independent expenditures, constraining political speech and fundraising options for groups that rely on big gifts.
Campaigns, PACs, regulators, and taxpayers: Implementing, reorganizing accounting for, and enforcing new contribution limits and reporting categories will raise administrative and compliance costs that are ultimately borne by campaigns, donors, and potentially taxpayers.
Donors, candidates, and the public: New restrictions are likely to trigger litigation over First Amendment limits and enforcement, creating legal uncertainty and potentially prolonged, costly court battles.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Defines "independent expenditure committees" and makes them subject to existing federal per-donor contribution limits beginning the first calendar year after enactment.
Official title: Amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to place reasonable limits on contributions to super PACs which make independent expenditures, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 20, 2026 by Bernard Sanders · Last progress May 20, 2026
Creates a new category called an "independent expenditure committee" (commonly known as super PACs) and subjects those committees to existing federal contribution limits. The bill amends federal election law so that committees that make $5,000 or more in independent expenditures or contributions to similar committees in a calendar year are treated as political committees covered by statutory contribution caps beginning the first calendar year after enactment. The change aims to curb very large, uncapped donations to independent expenditure groups by making them subject to the same per-donor limits that apply to other political committees, with the stated goals of reducing corruption risks and restoring public confidence in elections.