Sen. Budd and Rep. Tenney take “Bidenbucks” Fight to Both Chambers
- BY FGA
NAPLES, FL — Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) and Representative Claudia Tenney (R-NY24) introduced their Promoting Free and Fair Elections Act—a bill to stop the ongoing threat of President Biden’s Executive Order 14019.
Executive Order 14019 directs federal agencies to provide a strategic plan to the president’s Domestic Policy Advisor detailing how the agency will help increase voter registration and participation. It also mandates that the agencies support “approved” third-party organizations to provide voter registration services on federal agency premises. It’s this second part that is the focus of the Promoting Free and Fair Elections Act.
Sen. Budd and Rep Tenney’s legislation would prohibit federal agencies from entering into agreements with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) hand-selected by the White House to conduct voter registration activities or from using federal funds to carry out voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts targeting only likely Democrat voters.
“Americans deserve to know that their elections are free and fair, not influenced by the heavy hands of the federal government and special interest groups,” said Tarren Bragdon, President and CEO of the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA). “President Biden’s use of federal agencies to meddle in elections and steamroll state governments is a flagrant abuse of executive authority and should not set a precedent for future administrations. I am grateful for Sen. Budd and Rep. Tenney’s vigilant efforts to address this issue in both Chambers. With their Promoting Free and Fair Elections Act, Congress can thwart the current administration’s attempts to interfere with state election administration by denying it the funding needed to carry out its plan.”
Additional Background
In 2022, then-Rep. Budd led a coalition of 36 House members to send a letter to Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget Shalanda Young requesting documents and an investigation into President Biden’s executive order empowering every federal agency to engage in election-related activities.
FGA filed suit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) after several federal executive agencies failed to respond to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for documents regarding Executive Order 14019, which federal law requires the government to share. Despite a court ruling in favor of FGA ordering DOJ to produce all documents it is required to produce under the law, DOJ is continuing to withhold documents in violation of the FOIA law. FGA’s lawsuit continues, with a final ruling expected soon.
###
The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) is a non-profit, multi-state think tank that promotes public policy solutions to create opportunities for every American to experience the American Dream. To learn more, visit TheFGA.org.
