Rep. Ben Klein (R-VA) presented a new law on Thursday aimed at addressing gaps in the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA).
Cline’s proposed legislation, the Foreign Agent Transparency Act, mandates that individuals who have previously served as foreign agents must register retroactively for their lobbying activities.
This initiative follows a recent incident where a DC District Judge determined that an individual failed to register as a foreign agent, despite having stopped lobbying for the Chinese government prior to the lawsuit. This situation raised concerns among lawmakers about the possibility of unregistered foreign agents avoiding penalties simply by finishing their lobbying efforts.
Cline’s Foreign Agent Transparency Act seeks to eliminate this concern by requiring retroactive registration for foreign agents’ past activities.
“Congress needs to act promptly to restore FARA to its essential and intended purpose after the misguided ruling that diluted the law,” Klein stated in a written message.
The Foreign Agent Registration Act compels individuals engaged in specific political, financial, or public relations activities on behalf of foreign principals to register with the Attorney General and disclose their affiliations. The law aims to prevent covert foreign influence on US policies.
“We can’t allow the Chinese Communist Party and other adversaries to exploit foreign agents and chip away at our state at every opportunity. The bill stipulates that anyone representing a foreign government must register as a foreign agent.”
Chairman John Mourenar (R-MI), along with members from both parties—including Raja Krishnamoulti (D-IL), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Rob Whitman (R-VA), and Don Davis (D-NC)—have supported this legislation.
