Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA) has introduced the Foreign Agents Transparency Act, a legislative measure aimed at addressing a loophole in the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). This bill seeks to mandate that individuals who have acted as foreign agents register retroactively for their lobbying activities.
The introduction of this legislation follows a ruling by a D.C. district judge which determined that a suspected foreign agent could not be held accountable for failing to register under FARA because the individual had ceased lobbying for the Chinese government before legal action was initiated. Many lawmakers see this as setting a troubling precedent where unregistered foreign agents could potentially avoid registration and subsequent penalties by ending their lobbying activities.
In his statement to Breitbart News, Rep. Cline emphasized, “Congress must take decisive action to restore FARA to its original and critical purpose following the misguided ruling that weakened this statute.”
The Foreign Agents Registration Act is designed to ensure transparency by requiring individuals engaged in political, financial, or public-relations activities on behalf of foreign principals to register with the Attorney General. The act aims to prevent covert influence over U.S. policy by foreign entities.
Cline further stated, “We cannot afford to stand idly by while the Chinese Communist Party and other adversaries exploit foreign agents to undermine our nation at every turn. This bill is essential because it mandates that anyone working on behalf of a foreign government must register as a foreign agent. We must uphold FARA’s transparency requirements to safeguard America and protect our national security.”
The proposed legislation has received bipartisan support with cosponsors including Reps. John Moolenar (R-MI), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Rob Wittman (R-VA), and Don Davis (D-NC).
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News.
