Sens. Rubio, Van Hollen introduce bill to defend against foreign interference in US elections

U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) introduced legislation Tuesday designed to prevent foreign actors from interfering in U.S. elections.

The Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines (DETER) Act would implement measures such as sanctions and blocking foreign officials from entering the United States against any foreign governments found to participating in actions meant to disrupt the U.S. election process.

“We cannot be a country where foreign intelligence agencies attempt to influence our political process without consequences,” Rubio said. “This bill will help to ensure the integrity of our electoral process by using key national security tools to dissuade foreign powers from meddling in our elections.”

The bill includes several Russia-specific sanctions, which would be enacted if the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) finds that the Kremlin interfered in another American federal election. The DETER Act also identifies China, Iran, and North Korea as other significant foreign government cyber threats.

The legislation would require the Administration to present Congress with a plan to prevent election interference within 90 days of enactment.

It would also introduce a reporting requirement that directs the DNI to issue to Congress within one month after every federal election a determination on whether any foreign government has interfered in that election.

“Protecting the integrity of our elections is an issue that knows no party. And with the midterm elections less than a year away, we have no time to waste,” Van Hollen said. “The DETER ACT sends an unequivocal message to Russia and any other foreign actor who may follow its example: if you attack us, the consequences will be severe.”