Senate Passes Peters Bipartisan Bills to Help Prevent Foreign Influence in U.S. Policy

WASHINGTON, DC – Two bipartisan bills authored by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Chairman 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 have passed the Senate. The bills would close existing loopholes that foreign governments, including adversaries like the Russian and Chinese governments, can exploit to conceal their roles in lobbying efforts.

“By providing more transparency about foreign lobbying practices, these bipartisan bills will help stop attempts by foreign adversaries to influence our political process and ensure that the federal government is working in the best interests of Michiganders and Americans,” said Senator Peters.

The Lobbying Disclosure Improvement Act would improve transparency of 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 would help the Department of Justice narrow the pool of registrants they are examining for potential violations, while not imposing any meaningful additional burden on registrants.

The Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act closes a loophole in the Lobbying Disclosure Act that foreign adversaries – including the Chinese government – 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.

The bipartisan bills build on Peters’ previous efforts to ensure the federal government is working in the best interest of taxpayers. Last Congress, Peters led long overdue reforms that were signed into law to strengthen protections for Inspectors General so they can conduct independent oversight to root out waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars. Peters bill to identify and mitigate potential conflicts of interest between taxpayer-funded projects and government contractors’ other business opportunities has also been signed into law. 

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