FEC's Final Action Before Its Latest Shutdown Was Fining California Rep. Maxine Waters

California US Rep. Maxine Waters
Photo by Gage Skidmore on Flickr. Photo shared under a creative commons license.
Published: 03 Jun, 2025
2 min read

WASHINGTON, D.C. - We now know what final action the FEC was able to take before it effectively shut down in May due to a lack of quorum. The FEC voted unanimously 4-0 on April 29 to fine California US Rep. Maxine Waters $68,000 for violating several campaign finance laws, according to recently published documents from the agency.

The bipartisan vote came one day before Republican Commissioner Allen Dickerson chose to leave at the expiration of his term instead of staying on in what is known as a "holdover stage" to preserve quorum. Federal law requires the FEC to have at least 4 commissioners to perform its most critical enforcement functions.

The agency was designed to have a max of 6 members evenly split between the Republican and Democratic Parties.

Partisan Gridlock and the FEC: 50 Years of Increasing Paralysis

With Dickerman's departure, which followed the resignation of fellow Republican Sean Cooksey and the firing of long-time Democratic commissioner and former FEC Chair Ellen Weintraub, the FEC only has 3 commissioners left -- meaning it has essentially shut down until President Trump nominates at least one more commissioner.

As Trump hasn't offered up any nominees since taking office in January, the Waters fine could be the last enforcement measure the FEC takes for a long time.

According to OpenSecrets, the FEC found that Waters' 2020 campaign committee, Citizens for Waters, "understated contributions and expenditures by hundreds of thousands of dollars, accepted $19,000 worth of excessive contributions and made $7,000 worth of 'prohibited cash disbursements' from a petty cash fund."

Waters' campaign committee did not object to paying the fine and agreed to send its treasurer to a FEC-sponsored training program for political committees. This is not the first time her campaign has come under investigation. The FEC voted 5-1 in 2021 to dismiss a complaint that she accepted an illegal campaign contribution in 2018.

Rep. Waters represents California's 43rd Congressional District, which includes parts of the Los Angeles area. The seat is so safe for Waters that she has consistently won re-election with over 70% of the vote and has been a member of Congress since 1991.

By law, the FEC is the only federal agency tasked with enforcing campaign finance laws. With record-breaking election spending and a system in which bad actors constantly try to exploit loopholes or partisan gridlock, there is plenty of uncertainty over who might try to get away with what in the upcoming 2026 midterms now that the FEC can't perform its primary function.

IVP Donate

In this article

Related articles

A person in a suit handing another person in a suit money.
Maine’s New Law to Limit Super PACs Has First Hearing in Federal Court
PORTLAND, MAINE — A legal showdown over the ...
19 May, 2025
-
3 min read
A broken FEC logo over a pile of American money.
Partisan Gridlock and the FEC: 50 Years of Increasing Paralysis
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Many voters may not be aware that on May 1 the Federal Election Commission (FEC) ...
19 May, 2025
-
5 min read
Piles of cash.
Who Really Pays for Congress? Local Donors All But Disappear in 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. - There is an old saying: All politics is local. However, many voters may get the i...
06 May, 2025
-
3 min read

Latest articles

US map divided in blue and red with a white ballot box on top.
Could Maine Be the First State to Exit the National Popular Vote Compact?
On May 20, the Maine House of Representatives voted 76–71 to withdraw the state from the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), reversing course just over a year after Maine became the 17th jurisdiction to join the agreement....
04 Jun, 2025
-
3 min read
New York City
Nine Democrats Face Off in NYC Mayoral Debate as Ranked Choice Voting, Cuomo Probe, and Independent Bid from Adams Reshape the Race
A crowded field of nine Democratic candidates will take the stage tonight, June 4, in the first official debate of the 2025 New York City mayoral primary. Held at NBC’s 30 Rock studios and co-sponsored by the city’s Campaign Finance Board, NBC 4 New York, Telemundo 47, and POLITICO New York, the debate comes at a pivotal moment in a race already shaped by political upheaval, criminal investigations, and the unique dynamics of ranked choice voting....
04 Jun, 2025
-
6 min read
Elderly woman sitting in wheelchair staring out window.
Three Reps Put Party Labels Aside to Strengthen U.S. Role in Global Fight Against Alzheimer’s
Two California members of Congress, Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA-06) and Young Kim (R-CA-40), introduced a bill Wednesday with Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick aimed at bolstering the US's global role in the battle against Alzheimer’s disease. ...
04 Jun, 2025
-
3 min read