DISCLOSE Act of 2026

Purpose & Problem

Is the problem real and worth federal action?

The bill aims to require more public reporting of money spent to influence federal elections and to block foreign nationals from spending in U.S. campaigns, including ballot measures and digital ads.

Scope & Related Provisions

Does it stay focused, or carry unrelated add-ons?

The bill mostly stays on the topic of campaign finance disclosure. It also adds a new federal crime for using a company to hide foreign money in elections, which is a related but distinct legal area.

Who Is Affected

Who benefits, and who bears the cost?

Corporations, labor unions, and nonprofit groups must file new spending reports. Foreign nationals face broader limits on political spending. Voters and the public gain access to more donor information.

Cost & Funding

Is it affordable and responsibly funded?

The bill does not authorize or appropriate specific dollar amounts. It shifts costs onto covered organizations to track and report donations, and onto the Federal Election Commission to write rules and review filings.

Risks & Implementation

What could go wrong in practice?

The bill requires the FEC to write new rules within six months, and some rules must also involve the Treasury Department. If agencies are slow, the bill directs that the law still takes effect on January 1, 2027, regardless.

TITLE I--CLOSING LOOPHOLES ALLOWING SPENDING BY FOREIGN NATIONALS IN ELECTIONS

This title tightens the ban on foreign money in U.S. elections by expanding the definition of prohibited spending to cover digital ads, ballot initiatives, and payments to people who post political content online. It makes it a federal crime to set up a company specifically to hide foreign money in elections, with a penalty of up to five years in prison. It also requires the Government Accountability Office to study and report on illegal foreign money in federal elections every four years through 2036.

TITLE II--REPORTING OF CAMPAIGN-RELATED DISBURSEMENTS

This title requires corporations, nonprofits, labor unions, and other covered organizations that spend more than $10,000 on campaign-related activities to file detailed reports with the Federal Election Commission within 24 hours of each disclosure date. The reports must include the names and addresses of donors who gave $10,000 or more, how the money was spent, and which candidates or judicial nominees were supported or opposed. It also extends these disclosure rules to spending on federal judicial nomination campaigns and prohibits foreign money from flowing through covered transfers.

TITLE III--OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS

This title changes the rules for how courts handle legal challenges to campaign finance laws. It requires such lawsuits to be filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and sets rules for fast-tracking these cases. It also allows Members of Congress to join these lawsuits and clarifies that the FEC can seek Supreme Court review.

TITLE IV--STAND BY EVERY AD

This title expands disclaimer rules for political ads that are not authorized by a candidate or their campaign committee. Groups or individuals paying for audio, video, or digital political ads must identify themselves and, in many cases, list their top five largest funders. The rules also apply to prerecorded political phone calls and extend to online ads, while making clear that no new groups are required to add disclaimers to general internet communications.

TITLE V--SEVERABILITY

This title says that if any part of the DISCLOSE Act is found unconstitutional by a court, the rest of the law stays in effect. It prevents the entire act from being thrown out just because one section is struck down. This is a standard legal protection included in many laws.