In June, the Senate Homeland Security Committee approved Sinema’s bipartisan legislation closing a loophole allowing the Chinese government and other foreign adversaries to secretly lobby U.S. officials
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate unanimously approved the bipartisan Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act – bipartisan legislation cosponsored by Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema cracking down on foreign adversaries secretly influencing U.S. policy.
“Arizonans and Americans will be safer and more secure thanks to our bipartisan legislation closing loopholes used by foreign adversaries, like China and Russia, attempting to influence American policy. We look forward to getting it signed into law,” said Sinema.
Federal law requires lobbyists to disclose their activities with any foreign entity to ensure transparency. However, foreign governments and political parties, including the Chinese Communist Party, have been exploiting a loophole in federal lobbying law by forcing organizations and businesses to lobby for them without paying them. These businesses and organizations, which may be registered under the law, effectively become proxies for foreign governments, which avoid registering as lobbyists. Sinema’s Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act closes this loophole, ensuring that when foreign governments and political parties participate in the planning, supervision, direction, or control of a lobbying effort, the lobbyist must disclose their participation, regardless of any financial contribution to the lobbying effort.