Dems' Law-Breaking Spree: How Many Rules Broken?

There have been several accusations of Democrats breaking laws in recent years. For example, in 2024, Minnesota Democrats were accused of cheating in the House District 40B election by allowing Curtis Johnson, who did not live in the district, to run as their candidate. In 2025, 48 House Democrats voted to advance the Laken Riley Act, an illegal immigration crackdown bill, marking a shift from the party's previous stance on the issue.

Additionally, Democrats have been accused of breaking laws by passing certain funding bills and implementing rules and regulations that may conflict with existing laws. However, it is important to note that the determination of whether a law has been broken is a complex legal matter and may be subject to interpretation and debate.

House Democrats united against the 2024 Legislative Branch funding bill

House Democrats have united against the 2024 Legislative Branch funding bill, which is part of a six-bill funding package that includes appropriations for agriculture, rural development, food and drug administration, commerce, justice, science, energy and water development, interior and environment, military construction and veterans affairs, and transportation and housing and urban development.

The bill provides $6.761 billion in funding for various entities, including the United States Senate, the United States Capitol Police, the Library of Congress, and the Government Accountability Office. While some have praised the bill for its bipartisan support and ability to strengthen institutions of democracy, House Democrats have taken a stand against it.

One of the main concerns of House Democrats is the allocation of funds to the United States Capitol Police (USCP). The bill provides $792 million for the USCP to protect the Capitol and includes funds for recruitment, support, and retention of a qualified workforce. However, Democrats argue that this allocation falls short of what is needed to ensure the safety and security of the Capitol complex. They believe that the USCP requires additional resources to address the increasing threats and challenges they face in protecting the Capitol and its members, staff, and visitors.

Additionally, House Democrats have expressed concerns about the bill's impact on social and economic issues. They argue that the bill does not go far enough to address the rising cost of living, create higher-paying jobs, or protect women's rights and reproductive health care access. These issues are particularly important to Democratic constituents, and they believe that the bill in its current form will not effectively serve the needs of the American people.

By standing united against the 2024 Legislative Branch funding bill, House Democrats are sending a strong message about their priorities and commitment to their constituents. They are advocating for increased funding for domestic programs, stronger protections for marginalized communities, and a more comprehensive approach to addressing the nation's most pressing issues. While the bill has received bipartisan support, the Democrats' opposition highlights the ongoing political divide and the challenges of reaching consensus on critical fiscal matters.

Democrats' opposition to the Laken Riley Act

The Laken Riley Act, named after a nursing student who was killed by an asylum seeker accused of shoplifting, is a bill that requires federal immigration enforcement to detain and potentially deport any unauthorized immigrant accused of minor crimes, including petty theft or shoplifting. This marks a significant shift from the current policy, which mandates two or more convictions for crimes of moral turpitude to initiate deportation. The Act has exposed the Democrats' alleged hypocrisy on immigration, as 48 Democratic members of Congress voted for this GOP-backed bill, despite the party leadership's criticism of it as inhumane.

The bill grants state governments the authority to sue the federal government for specific immigration-related decisions or failures that have caused harm to the state or its residents. It also mandates the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain non-U.S. nationals who are unlawfully present or lack the necessary documents and have been charged with, arrested for, or convicted of crimes like burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.

The Democratic opposition to the Laken Riley Act stems from their concern for human rights and their criticism of mass deportation plans. They argue that the bill prioritizes "security" over human rights and due process, as it allows for the detention and deportation of individuals based on accusations rather than convictions. This contradicts foundational tenets of human rights, such as the presumption of innocence and the promise of due process.

Additionally, the Democratic Party has criticized the high financial costs associated with implementing the Laken Riley Act. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) estimates that executing this bill would cost $29.6 billion, requiring 110,000 additional detention beds and 10,000 detention and removal personnel. They argue that instead of adopting more violent solutions, the focus should be on investing in systems for the adjudication of immigrant claims, which would be more humane and financially prudent.

The Democrats' opposition to the Laken Riley Act highlights their stance on immigration and their concerns about prioritizing security over human rights and the financial burden of implementing such measures.

Democratic National Committee's recommendations for combating online disinformation

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has outlined a series of recommendations to combat online disinformation, recognising that it is a whole-of-society problem that requires a comprehensive approach involving social media companies, government, the media, campaigns, and the general public. Here are the key proposals:

Legislative Actions:

• The For the People Act: This bill addresses voter access, election integrity, security, political spending, and ethics for the three branches of government. It includes the Honest Ads Act, which expands source disclosure requirements for political advertisements.
• The Safeguarding Against Fraud, Exploitation, Threats, Extremism and Consumer Harms (SAFE TECH) Act: This act forces online service providers to address harms caused by their platforms or face civil liability. It clarifies that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act does not provide immunity in certain cases, such as ads or other paid content, allowing victims to seek legal remedies.
• The Protecting Americans from Dangerous Algorithms Act: This act amends Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to remove liability immunity for platforms if their algorithms amplify content interfering with civil rights or acts of international terrorism.
• The Health Misinformation Act: This bill limits liability protection for social media companies if they promote health misinformation during public health emergencies. It mandates the Department of Health and Human Services to provide guidance on health misinformation.
• The Countering Russian Influence Through Interagency Coordination and Leadership Act: This bill establishes two bodies to counter malign foreign influence: the Russia Influence Group and the Commission on Countering Global Malign Influence. These groups will coordinate efforts to counter election interference and disinformation, work with international actors, and report strategies to Congress.
• The Digital Citizenship and Media Literacy Act: This act promotes digital citizenship and media literacy among Americans.
• The Bot Disclosure and Accountability Act of 2019: This act regulates the use of automated software that impersonates or replicates human activity on social media, protecting Americans' right to receive information from diverse sources.
• The Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2019: This bill prohibits deceptive practices, false statements, and voter interference in federal elections. It establishes criminal penalties for violations and mandates the Department of Justice to correct materially false information communicated to the public.
• The Defending Each and Every Person from False Appearances by Keeping Exploitation Subject to Accountability Act of 2019: This act combats disinformation by restricting deep-fake video alteration technology.
• The Deep Fake Detection Prize Competition Act: This act authorises the National Science Foundation to establish prize competitions related to deep fake detection technology.
• The Platform Accountability and Transparency Act: This multi-pronged bill increases transparency around social media companies' internal data. It allows independent researchers to access data (with privacy protections) and gives the FTC authority to require platforms to proactively disclose certain information.
• The Social Media Privacy Protection and Consumer Rights Act: This bill requires online platform operators to inform users that their personal data will be collected and used by the operator and third parties. It grants users privacy preferences and mandates operators to provide users with their personal data and notify them of data breaches.

Actions by Social Media Companies:

• Promote Authoritative News: Social media algorithms should prioritise authoritative news sources over highly engaging content to reduce the spread of misinformation.
• Enforce Comprehensive Political Misinformation Policies: Social media companies should implement and enforce penalties for users who frequently publish misinformation.
• Remove Maliciously Edited Media and Deepfakes: Establish policies to prevent the spread of manipulated media and deepfakes, which can significantly impact voter perceptions.
• Enforce Hate Speech Rules Consistently: Develop and consistently enforce rules against hate speech to prevent intimidation, exclusion, and silencing of opposing viewpoints.
• Prohibit Scaled Automation: Prevent bad actors from using automation to artificially boost their influence and drown out competing views.
• Require Account Transparency and Authenticity: Encourage users to be transparent about their identities to limit the ability of bad actors, especially foreign entities, to manipulate online discourse.
• Restrict Distribution of Plagiarised and Unoriginal Content: Combat plagiarism and content aggregation by foreign actors to prevent the infiltration of domestic online communities.
• Make Content Recommendations Transparent: Provide transparency into how social media algorithms work and how content is recommended to users.
• Make Public Content and Engagement Data Accessible: Grant journalists and academics access to public content and engagement data to enable analysis and understanding of social media discourse.
• Make Political Advertising Transparent: Ensure political advertising content is easily accessible and transparent to the public, especially when combined with microtargeting and disinformation tactics.
• Fully Disclose State-Backed Influence Operations: When state-sponsored influence operations are detected, social media companies should release datasets and details to the public and researchers for further analysis.
• Label State-Controlled Media Content: Clearly label content from state-controlled media outlets to distinguish them from independent news sources.
• End Partnerships with State-Controlled Media: Refuse advertising partnerships and revenue-generating opportunities with state-controlled media outlets to limit their ability to propagandise and misinform the public.
• Restrict Distribution of Hacked Materials: Establish policies to restrict the distribution of hacked materials to prevent their use in "hack-and-dump" operations aimed at disinforming voters.

Actions by the DNC:

• Establish a Counter-Misinformation Team: The DNC has a dedicated team of analysts to identify and counter bad actors targeting Democratic campaigns online. This team aids campaigns, state parties, and party committees in combating online disinformation and social media manipulation.
• Detection and Response: Adopt a hybrid approach by purchasing commercial tools and developing in-house tools to detect trending content, respond in real-time, and provoke takedowns or demotions of misleading posts.
• Counter Disinformation Training: Conduct training and webinars to prepare campaigns, state parties, and committees to counter disinformation tactics.
• Correct the Record: Utilise <

Democratic leaders' proposed common-sense reforms to combat misinformation

Democratic leaders have proposed a series of common-sense reforms to combat misinformation, improve transparency, and protect user privacy. Many of these proposals have been blocked by Republican members of the U.S. Senate.

The For the People Act addresses voter access, election integrity, election security, political spending, and ethics for the three branches of government. It includes a version of the Honest Ads Act, which expands source disclosure requirements for political advertisements. The Act also establishes that paid internet and digital communications may be subject to specific disclosure requirements and imposes additional rules related to the form and content of such disclosures. Furthermore, it mandates that online platform companies maintain publicly available records about qualified political ads purchased on their platforms.

The proposed Safeguarding Against Fraud, Exploitation, Threats, Extremism and Consumer Harms (SAFE TECH) Act would hold online service providers accountable for addressing harms by clarifying that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act does not apply to ads or other paid content, ensuring platforms cannot profit while their services are used to target vulnerable consumers. The Act also allows victims to seek court orders when misuse of a provider's services is likely to cause irreparable harm and maintains protections from discrimination, even when activities are mediated by internet platforms.

Additionally, the Protecting Americans from Dangerous Algorithms Act seeks to amend Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to remove liability immunity for platforms if their algorithms amplify or recommend content related to civil rights interference, neglect to prevent such interference, or in cases of international terrorism.

The Health Misinformation Act aims to limit liability protection for social media companies regarding health misinformation during public health emergencies. It requires that algorithms promoting such misinformation use a neutral mechanism, such as chronological functionality. This bill also mandates that the Department of Health and Human Services issue guidance on what constitutes health misinformation within 30 days.

These proposals by Democratic leaders demonstrate a commitment to addressing misinformation and improving transparency and user protection in the digital realm.

Democratic support for House Resolution 1096

House Resolution 1096 (H.Res.1096) was introduced in the House of Representatives on May 10, 2022, by Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI-9). The resolution is titled "Approving certain regulations to implement provisions of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 relating to labor-management relations with respect to employees of the House of Representatives covered under section 220(e) of the Act, and for other purposes."

The resolution focuses on approving regulations related to labor-management relations for employees of the House of Representatives under the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995. Specifically, it aims to implement Section 220 of the Act, which applies chapter 71 of title 5 of the United States Code to covered employees in specific employing offices within the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The resolution outlines the various offices and committees that are subject to the regulations, including personal offices of members of the House or Senate, standing and select committees, offices of leadership in both chambers, and various support offices. The resolution also specifies that the regulations shall apply to covered employees employed in these offices in the same manner and extent as they apply to other covered employees.

H.Res.1096 received Democratic support and passed the House on May 10, 2022, pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 1097. The resolution is considered a partisan bill, with a vote of 156-0 along party lines.

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