Bipartisan legislation to shine a light on secret foreign lobbying efforts was approved today by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC). The Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act is led by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Chairman of HSGAC. The bill unanimously cleared the committee today.
“Lobbying disclosure laws exist so policymakers know who is behind efforts to influence U.S. policy. The Chinese Communist Party has exploited loopholes in these laws to mask their involvement in lobbying campaigns that are pushing their agenda. This bill shines a light on those secret schemes so we can make more informed decisions when crafting policy. I’m grateful for Chairman Peters’ support for this measure and for promptly shepherding it through the Homeland Security Committee,” Grassley said.
“Lobbying efforts by foreign adversaries, including the Chinese and Russian governments, to influence our policy pose a serious risk to communities across the nation. Now that this commonsense, bipartisan bill has passed the Committee, I will urge my colleagues to pass it out of the Senate quickly so we can ensure our government is working in the best interest of the taxpayer and improve transparency into foreign lobbying activities,” Peters said.
Federal lobbying law requires both lobbyists and the organizations that retain them to register their activities with the government to provide transparency in policy influence efforts. However, think tanks and law enforcement agencies have identified schemes in which the Chinese Communist Party has used closely-connected organizations and businesses to push their interests when lobbying the U.S. government. The company, which may be registered under the law, effectively becomes a proxy for the government or political party, which is not registered. The Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act makes clear that foreign governments and political parties that participate in the planning, supervision, direction or control of a lobbying effort must disclose their activity, regardless of any financial contribution to the lobbying effort.
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