Amanda Forrester / news@whmi.com

U.S. Senator Gary Peters reintroduced two bipartisan bills aimed at preventing foreign influence in U.S. policy.

Peters, a ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, made the announcement on Wednesday, saying the bills would help “close loopholes that foreign governments could exploit to conceal their roles in lobbying efforts.”

The Lobbying Disclosure Improvement Act would require lobbyists who represent foreign organizations or individuals to indicate whether they are taking advantage of an exemption under the Foreign Agent Registration Act when they register under the Lobbying Disclosure Act. Peters said it 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 would close a loophole in the Lobbying Disclosure Act that "foreign adversaries – including the Chinese government – can exploit to conceal their roles in lobbying efforts.” It would require lobbying organizations to disclose when foreign governments and political parties are participating in their lobbying efforts, regardless of any financial contributions. Peters said both law enforcement agencies and think tanks have identified instances where foreign governments “exploited this loophole by using closely connected organizations and businesses to push their interests when lobbying the U.S. government.”

“The American people deserve complete transparency about who is trying to influence our political process,” Peters said. “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.”

Both the Lobby Disclosure Improvement Act and Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act have been introduced to Congress several times. Most recently, both bills were approved by the Senate before stalling in the House in 2023.