First on FOX: Two prominent House members from the other side of the aisle are working together to promote greater transparency into the gifts or perks that federal representatives receive from foreign companies.
Byron Donald, R-Fla. and Jared Golden, D-Maine. introduced the Gifts, Accountability, Reporting and Disclosure (GARD) Act, which aims to strengthen government guardrails against foreign influences.
The bill greatly expands the definition of “foreign” gifts and places high requirements on what kind of details must be disclosed.
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Rep. Byron Donald, right, Jared Golden has helped report on strengthening bipartisan bills for foreign gifts. (Getty Images)
Federal employees reporting more than 30 days after receiving a foreign gift will be slapped with a $200 fine. Golden and Donald's collaboration on this issue is remarkable in today's bipartisan climate.
Federal employees, presidents, vice presidents, congressional members, other officials, and their families are generally expected to report foreign gifts of $480 or more, but their baselines may be lower for certain government agencies.
The head of the State Department's protocol, a politically appointed role, is tasked with gathering such information and publishing a report 11 days after the end of the president's term. And there is no deadline for that data to be made public in the federal registers amended in the new Donald and Golden bills.
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The State Department, led by Centre Secretary Marco Rubio, is currently being charged with overseeing the federal gifting process. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)
The Gard Act requires the State Department to publish foreign gift lists within 30 days of receiving the information. “Foreign” designations will now include non-US companies and non-profit organizations. It also standardizes reporting of foreign gifts given to relatives of adult children and government officials at a baseline of $480.
Moreover, instead of gathering information on behalf of the State Department's political appointee, it will now be carried over by the U.S. Government Office of Ethics.
Both Republicans and Democrats have accused party leaders and families of recent enrichment in foreign businesses.
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It is not immediately clear whether House GOP leaders are interested in the bill, but they are among the talks of both leaders who may be seeking a higher office.
Donald announced earlier this year that he was running for governor of Florida, and he is supported by President Donald Trump for his role.
meanwhile, Portland Press Herald He hosted Golden, a medium Democrat representing the districts Trump won in 2020 and 2024, as a potential candidate for governor of Maine.
