Grassley, Peters Relaunch Bipartisan Effort to Root Out Foreign Influence in U.S. Policy

WASHINGTON– Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gary Peters (D-Mich.) reintroduced two bipartisan bills to prevent foreign governments, including adversaries like China and Russia, from shadow influencing U.S. policy. The legislation would help close loopholes that foreign governments exploit to conceal their roles in lobbying efforts.
“Sunlight is the best disinfectant, and the public has a right to know if a foreign government is trying to sway American policy. Our bipartisan bills would close a loophole that allows individuals to conceal their lobbying efforts and ensure that all foreign actors are disclosed to the American people. The Senate passed our bipartisan legislation last Congress, and I’m going to continue to work diligently with my colleagues to get these vital reforms to the president’s desk,”Grassley said.
"The American people deserve complete transparency about who is trying to influence our political process. These bipartisan bills will help ensure foreign actors can't exploit loopholes to hide their activities while attempting to shape policy in the United States. It's a commonsense step to protect our national security and ensure our government is working in the best interests of the American people,”Peters said.
Lobbying Disclosure Improvement Act
Congress created theLobbying Disclosure Act(LDA) in 1995 to delineate between those lobbying on behalf of foreigngovernmentsversus those lobbying for foreignprivate entities.The LDA exempts foreign private entity lobbyists from theForeign Agents Registration Act’s(FARA)more burdensome restrictions. However, the Justice Department currently has no way of knowing which foreign lobbyists claim this exemption.
TheLobbying Disclosure Improvement Actwould make public which foreign lobbyists receive the LDA exemption, ensuring no foreign government actors can fraudulently and secretly represent themselves as non-government actors. This would help the Justice Department narrow the pool of registrants they are examining for potential FARA violations, without imposing any meaningful additional burden on non-government registrants representing foreign private entities.
Additional cosponsors include Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.).
Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act
Law enforcement agencies have identified instances in which foreign adversaries exploit an additional loophole in theLobbyingDisclosure Actby using closely connected private organizations and businesses to push their government interests.
TheDisclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Actmakes 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