Senator Hassan and Colleagues' Bipartisan Bill To Crack Down On Undisclosed Foreign Influence Passes Senate

Press Release

The U.S. Senate recently passed a bipartisan bill, which Senator Maggie Hassan joined in introducing, that would close a loophole that the Chinese Communist Party frequently exploits to conceal its role in lobbying efforts. The bill was introduced by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA).

"As countries like China and Russia seek to exploit loopholes to influence our democracy, increasing transparency around foreign lobbying activities is critical to our national security," said Senator Hassan. "It's important that the Senate passed our bipartisan bill, which will crack down on loopholes in lobbying disclosure laws that for too long have allowed bad actors to sneak through our system."

"The Chinese Communist Party has exploited loopholes in lobbying disclosure laws to mask their involvement in lobbying campaigns that are pushing their agenda and influencing U.S. policy. This bill shines a light on those types of secret schemes so we can make more informed decisions when crafting policy. I'm grateful to have bipartisan support for this measure," Senator Grassley said.

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. This would prevent the Chinese Communist Party from circumventing federal lobbying laws by using registered, closely-connected organizations and businesses as proxies to push their interests when lobbying the U.S. government.

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