Weeks before Election Day, the FEC can't enforce the law

The Federal Election Commission has been unable to carry out most of its core duties since May 2025, and with Election Day four weeks away, that leaves campaigns largely unpoliced. Only two of its six seats are filled, and federal law requires four members for a quorum. Staff can still collect and publish finance reports, field complaints and answer candidates' questions, but nobody can open investigations, levy fines, write rules or issue formal guidance, according to CBS News.

Agency records show the commission closed 180 cases and collected roughly $1 million in civil penalties during the year before the quorum was lost. Since then it has resolved no cases and approved no new penalties, while pending enforcement matters rose from 154 to 307. CBS News obtained documents showing that Commissioner Shana Broussard told Representatives Mike Lawler and Josh Gottheimer the agency could not act on their request about AI chatbots and election misinformation. Representative Anna Paulina Luna was likewise turned away when she asked about spending campaign money on childcare.

Adav Noti of the Campaign Legal Center says the vacuum encourages lawbreaking, and the group has filed a complaint about President Trump and MAGA Inc. A spokesperson for MAGA Inc. denies wrongdoing.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CBS News’s reporting. Read the full story at CBS News →