WASHINGTON, D.C.—Two bipartisan bills authored by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, to improve our nation’s ability to prevent foreign governments from attempting to influence U.S. policy without making appropriate disclosures have passed the Senate. The bills will help close loopholes that foreign governments could exploit to conceal their roles in lobbying efforts.
“The American people should know when foreign governments try to influence our political process,” said Senator Peters. “These bipartisan bills will let us take commonsense steps to protect our national security by ensuring foreign actors can’t exploit loopholes to hide their activities when attempting to shape policy in the United States. We must ensure that our government is working in the best interests of the American people, not those of our adversaries.”
The Lobbying Disclosure Improvement Act would improve transparency around the activities of lobbyists who represent foreign persons or organizations by requiring them to indicate whether they are taking advantage of an exemption under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) when they register under the Lobbying Disclosure Act. This will help the government ensure no lobbyists representing foreign governments are using the exemption inappropriately.
The Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act closes a loophole in the Lobbying Disclosure Act that foreign adversaries – including the Russian and Chinese governments – can exploit to conceal their roles in lobbying efforts. Think tanks and law enforcement agencies have identified instances in which foreign adversaries exploited this loophole by using closely connected organizations and businesses to push their interests when lobbying the U.S. government. The bill makes clear that lobbying organizations must disclose when foreign governments and political parties participate in their lobbying efforts, regardless of any financial contribution to the lobbying effort.
