I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9700 

To prohibit bilateral economic assistance, including assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, to foreign governments that abridge the 

right to free speech that would be speech protected by the Constitution 

of the United States, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024 

Ms. MACE (for herself and Mr. BURCHETT) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To prohibit bilateral economic assistance, including assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, to foreign governments that abridge the right to free speech 

that would be speech protected by the Constitution of 

the United States, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘No Funds for Fascists 

5 Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON BILATERAL ECONOMIC ASSIST2 ANCE TO CERTAIN FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—None of the funds authorized to 

4 be appropriated or otherwise made available for bilateral 

5 economic assistance, including assistance under the For6 eign Assistance Act of 1961, for any fiscal year that be7 gins on or after the date of the enactment of this Act may 

8 be obligated or expended to provide assistance to the gov9 ernment of any foreign country if the Secretary of State 

10 determines that— 

11 (1) such government, or any employee acting 

12 under official authority or influence— 

13 (A) abridges the right to free speech that 

14 would be speech protected by the Constitution 

15 of the United States; or 

16 (B) censors speech that would be speech 

17 protected by the Constitution of the United 

18 States; and 

19 (2) such government, or any employee acting 

20 under official authority or influence, uses any form 

21 of communication (without regard to whether the 

22 communication is visible to members of the public) 

23 to direct, coerce, compel, or encourage a provider of 

24 a covered platform to take, suggest or imply that a 

25 provider of a covered platform should take, or re26 quest that a provider of a covered platform take, any 


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1 action to censor speech that would be speech pro2 tected by the Constitution of the United States. 

3 (b) PUBLICATION IN FEDERAL REGISTER.—The Sec4 retary of State shall publish in the Federal Register each 

5 determination made under subsection (a). 

6 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

7 (1) the term ‘‘covered platform’’ means— 

8 (A) an interactive computer service, as 

9 that term is defined in section 230(f) of the 

10 Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 

11 230(f)); and 

12 (B) any platform through which a media 

13 organization disseminates information, without 

14 regard to whether the organization disseminates 

15 that information— 

16 (i) through broadcast or print; 

17 (ii) online; or 

18 (iii) through any other channel; and 

19 (2) the term ‘‘employee acting under official au20 thority or influence’’, with respect to a foreign gov21 ernment, means— 

22 (A) any employee of such government; and 

23 (B) includes— 

24 (i) a head of state or head of such 

25 government; and 


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1 (ii) an individual working under con2 tract with such government. 

Æ 


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