Cline introduced the Foreign Agents Transparency Act, a bill that would ensure that individuals who previously acted as foreign agents are required to register retroactively for their foreign lobbying work.
The legislation follows after a D.C. district judge ruled that a suspected foreign agent could not be held liable for not registering as a foreign agent since the alleged agent had stopped lobbying for the Chinese government before the lawsuit was filed. For many lawmakers, this sets a concerning precedent that an unregistered foreign agent could declare at the end of his or her lobbying, avoid registration, and face no penalties for their actions.
Cline’s Foreign Agents Transparency Act would close this loophole by requiring foreign agents to register retroactively for their work as foreign agents.
“Congress must take decisive action to restore FARA to its original and critical purpose following the misguided ruling that weakened this statute,” Cline said in a written statement to Breitbart News.
The Foreign Agents Registration Act requires people engaging in certain political, financial, or public-relations activities of a foreign principal to register with the Attorney General and to make disclosures about the relationship with the foreign principal. It aims to prevent “covert influence over U.S. policy by foreign principals.”
“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,” he continued.
Reps. John Moolenar (R-MI), chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Select Committee Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Rob Wittman (R-VA), and Don Davis (D-NC) cosponsored the legislation.
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Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3.
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