Swalwell in the hot seat after spending over $200K in campaign cash on personal childcare: 'Slippery slope'
Transparency shouldn't be controversial.
FIRST ON FOX: A campaign finance expert is slamming progressive Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., for spending over $200,000 of his congressional campaign cash on an "inherently personal" expense: childcare.
Swalwell, who has been in Congress since 2013 and ran a brief and unsuccessful presidential bid in 2019, is currently running for California governor.
A Fox News Digital review of Federal Election Commission filings dating from 2019 to 2025 found that Swalwell's congressional campaign has reimbursed him over $200,000 for childcare-related costs.
A significant portion of those expenses, over $22,000, from his most recent House and gubernatorial campaign filings were for just three months of childcare from October to December 2025. The three payments on his gubernatorial campaign filing for "childcare" are made out to his wife, Brittany Swalwell, and total over $6,000.
ERIC SWALWELL BOASTS 'AVENGERS' ROSTER OF DEMOCRATIC LEADERS, FORGETS GAVIN NEWSOM
The FEC filings show that the campaign dished out over $102,000 to an individual named Amanda Barbosa in Dublin, California, between 2021 and 2025, a Fox News Digital review found. Her LinkedIn profile says she has been a "childcare provider" at a "private practice" since September 2021, one month before her first Swalwell campaign payment, and is an "aspiring occupational therapist." Her Facebook says she is Washington, D.C.-based and is pictured with the Swalwell family in a few of the photos, including at Disney World last June.
$57,324.40 was paid to Bambini Play & Learn Child Development Center, a Spanish immersion daycare and preschool in Washington, D.C., between 2023 and 2025. The monthly tuition for the child development center is between $2,520 and $3,280, according to Bambini's website.
Childcare reimbursement is the reason listed for the vast majority of these costs. The filings also list $9,713.42 for reimbursement for payroll tax for campaign childcare, $1,943.35 for "childcare for campaign event," $1,124.11 for travel expenses, food, beverage and childcare reimbursement and $625.91 for childcare, food & beverages reimbursement, among other payments.
Federal law prohibits the use of campaign finances for personal expenses. However, in 2018, the FEC issued an opinion that deemed childcare expenses caused by campaign activity to be not personal use.
In 2022, Swalwell, who has three children ages 8, 7 and 4, appealed to the FEC to clarify whether he could use campaign funds to pay for overnight childcare. The FEC approved the request, issuing another opinion allowing Swalwell to use campaign …
Transparency shouldn't be controversial.
FIRST ON FOX: A campaign finance expert is slamming progressive Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., for spending over $200,000 of his congressional campaign cash on an "inherently personal" expense: childcare.
Swalwell, who has been in Congress since 2013 and ran a brief and unsuccessful presidential bid in 2019, is currently running for California governor.
A Fox News Digital review of Federal Election Commission filings dating from 2019 to 2025 found that Swalwell's congressional campaign has reimbursed him over $200,000 for childcare-related costs.
A significant portion of those expenses, over $22,000, from his most recent House and gubernatorial campaign filings were for just three months of childcare from October to December 2025. The three payments on his gubernatorial campaign filing for "childcare" are made out to his wife, Brittany Swalwell, and total over $6,000.
ERIC SWALWELL BOASTS 'AVENGERS' ROSTER OF DEMOCRATIC LEADERS, FORGETS GAVIN NEWSOM
The FEC filings show that the campaign dished out over $102,000 to an individual named Amanda Barbosa in Dublin, California, between 2021 and 2025, a Fox News Digital review found. Her LinkedIn profile says she has been a "childcare provider" at a "private practice" since September 2021, one month before her first Swalwell campaign payment, and is an "aspiring occupational therapist." Her Facebook says she is Washington, D.C.-based and is pictured with the Swalwell family in a few of the photos, including at Disney World last June.
$57,324.40 was paid to Bambini Play & Learn Child Development Center, a Spanish immersion daycare and preschool in Washington, D.C., between 2023 and 2025. The monthly tuition for the child development center is between $2,520 and $3,280, according to Bambini's website.
Childcare reimbursement is the reason listed for the vast majority of these costs. The filings also list $9,713.42 for reimbursement for payroll tax for campaign childcare, $1,943.35 for "childcare for campaign event," $1,124.11 for travel expenses, food, beverage and childcare reimbursement and $625.91 for childcare, food & beverages reimbursement, among other payments.
Federal law prohibits the use of campaign finances for personal expenses. However, in 2018, the FEC issued an opinion that deemed childcare expenses caused by campaign activity to be not personal use.
In 2022, Swalwell, who has three children ages 8, 7 and 4, appealed to the FEC to clarify whether he could use campaign funds to pay for overnight childcare. The FEC approved the request, issuing another opinion allowing Swalwell to use campaign …
Swalwell in the hot seat after spending over $200K in campaign cash on personal childcare: 'Slippery slope'
Transparency shouldn't be controversial.
FIRST ON FOX: A campaign finance expert is slamming progressive Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., for spending over $200,000 of his congressional campaign cash on an "inherently personal" expense: childcare.
Swalwell, who has been in Congress since 2013 and ran a brief and unsuccessful presidential bid in 2019, is currently running for California governor.
A Fox News Digital review of Federal Election Commission filings dating from 2019 to 2025 found that Swalwell's congressional campaign has reimbursed him over $200,000 for childcare-related costs.
A significant portion of those expenses, over $22,000, from his most recent House and gubernatorial campaign filings were for just three months of childcare from October to December 2025. The three payments on his gubernatorial campaign filing for "childcare" are made out to his wife, Brittany Swalwell, and total over $6,000.
ERIC SWALWELL BOASTS 'AVENGERS' ROSTER OF DEMOCRATIC LEADERS, FORGETS GAVIN NEWSOM
The FEC filings show that the campaign dished out over $102,000 to an individual named Amanda Barbosa in Dublin, California, between 2021 and 2025, a Fox News Digital review found. Her LinkedIn profile says she has been a "childcare provider" at a "private practice" since September 2021, one month before her first Swalwell campaign payment, and is an "aspiring occupational therapist." Her Facebook says she is Washington, D.C.-based and is pictured with the Swalwell family in a few of the photos, including at Disney World last June.
$57,324.40 was paid to Bambini Play & Learn Child Development Center, a Spanish immersion daycare and preschool in Washington, D.C., between 2023 and 2025. The monthly tuition for the child development center is between $2,520 and $3,280, according to Bambini's website.
Childcare reimbursement is the reason listed for the vast majority of these costs. The filings also list $9,713.42 for reimbursement for payroll tax for campaign childcare, $1,943.35 for "childcare for campaign event," $1,124.11 for travel expenses, food, beverage and childcare reimbursement and $625.91 for childcare, food & beverages reimbursement, among other payments.
Federal law prohibits the use of campaign finances for personal expenses. However, in 2018, the FEC issued an opinion that deemed childcare expenses caused by campaign activity to be not personal use.
In 2022, Swalwell, who has three children ages 8, 7 and 4, appealed to the FEC to clarify whether he could use campaign funds to pay for overnight childcare. The FEC approved the request, issuing another opinion allowing Swalwell to use campaign …
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