Press Releases
Rep. Johnson, Sen. Grassley Introduce Bill to Shine Light on Foreign InfluencesLegislation reforms Foreign Agents Registration Act to increase transparency and enforce disclosure requirements
Washington, DC,
October 31, 2017
House Judiciary Committee Member Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today introduced legislation to improve transparency and accountability of agents working on behalf of foreign principals to influence American policy. The Disclosing Foreign Influence Act corrects longstanding loopholes exploited by lobbyists of foreign entities to conceal their work to influence U.S. government activities. The legislation strengthens the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) by clarifying reporting requirements, authorizing important investigative tools and establishing new enforcement safeguards. Rep. Johnson released the following statement: Sen. Grassley released the following statement: “Policy makers are here to serve the interests of the American people, so we need to know when someone is pushing the priorities of a foreign interest. Unfortunately, we’ve seen time and again how lobbyists of foreign principals skirt existing disclosure laws to conceal their clients’ identities and agendas. Congress passed the Foreign Agents Registration Act to prevent inappropriate influence in domestic policy, but my oversight work has uncovered rampant disregard by foreign agents and lackluster enforcement by federal authorities. This bill seeks to correct those flaws by improving enforcement, compliance and oversight of FARA.” Background FARA requires any person(s) in the United States working on behalf of a foreign principal, such as an individual, corporation, organization, government or political campaign or party, to disclose their affiliations and related activities with the DOJ. However, the DOJ Inspector General reported that the DOJ lacks a comprehensive enforcement strategy and has generally failed to aggressively use existing enforcement tools. Further, changes made to the law in 1995 have created ambiguity in registration requirements for foreign agents, which have been exploited, leading to a dramatic drop in registrations. The Disclosing Foreign Influence Act addresses these shortcomings by clarifying registration obligations of foreign agents, improving investigative tools for federal officials such as granting civil investigative demand authority, and providing new reporting requirements on the implementation of the law. To ensure accountability, the bill includes certain mechanisms to oversee the DOJ’s new investigative tools. The legislation also requires the DOJ to develop a comprehensive FARA enforcement strategy. Grassley first raised concerns about FARA enforcement in 2015 and held an oversight hearing on FARA enforcement in July to examine how Congress can better ensure compliance. In March 2017, Johnson chaired a House Judiciary Committee hearing on “Examining Systemic Management and Fiscal Challenges within the Department of Justice.” He highlighted existing failures in FARA and requested the DOJ Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office both assist in finding commonsense solutions to problems in the statute. The law has gained renewed attention following investigations into foreign meddling in U.S. democratic processes. 2016 Office of the Inspector General Report Government Accountability Office Reports:
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