EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Tenney, House Republicans To Introduce ‘End Zuckerbucks Act’ To Prohibit Tax Exempt Organizations From Donating To Election Organizations

Republican New York Rep. Claudia Tenney will introduce legislation Thursday that would amend the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit 501(c)(3) tax exempt organizations from providing direct funding to official election organizations.

The Daily Caller first obtained the legislation, titled the “End Zuckerbucks Act.” The legislation would prohibit non-profits from providing direct funding to state and local election officials or risk losing their tax exempt status.

A group of House Republicans, led by Tenney, previously sent a letter to the “left-leaning” group Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), calling on them to detail expenditure of the hundreds of millions of dollars they received during the COVID-19 pandemic. They alleged in the letter that the group spent less than 1% on personal protective equipment (PPE).

“Civic engagement is a vitally important part of our democracy. But what we saw in the 2020 election with private donors channeling money directly to government election agencies with zero transparency or accountability is not civic engagement, it’s election interference. Private donors like Mark Zuckerberg poured money into the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), a left-leaning non-profit. CTCL then funneled this money directly to Boards of Elections in overwhelmingly Democratic precincts, using it as leverage to tell these agencies what to do and how to do it,” Tenney told the Daily Caller before introducing the legislation.

“This kind of influence operation by a third-party undermines public confidence in the democratic process. It should not have happened, and the End Zuckerbucks Act will make sure it never does again,” Tenney added.

The “End Zuckerbucks Act” has 11 original co-sponsors: North Carolina Rep Dan. Bishop, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Maryland Rep. Andy Harris, Arkansas Rep. Steve Womack,  Utah Rep. Blake Moore, Nebraska Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, Texas Rep. Chip Roy, Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks, Indiana Rep. Jim Banks and Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Kelly.

READ THE BILL HERE: 

(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers

Tenney mentioned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s donation of $350 million to the CTCL earlier in June, claiming that the money was actually used for “Get Out the Vote” efforts and electioneering instead of on PPE. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans Demand To Know How A Left-Leaning Group Allegedly Channeled Private Funds To Election Agencies)

“Mark Zuckerberg channeled $350 million to government agencies during the 2020 election with zero transparency or accountability, and he used the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) to do it, a left leaning nonprofit. CTCL said the money was for PPE, but it was actually used for Get Out the Vote efforts and electioneering. It is no surprise that the vast majority of CTCL’s ‘Zuckerbucks’ ended up in predominantly Democratic counties,” Tenney told the Daily Caller. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans Call For Answers From Texas Elections Administrator Over Private Funding For Elections)

Tenney and the co-sponsors will hold a press conference to speak about the legislation Thursday.