Whitehouse-Cornyn Bill to Mitigate Foreign Influence on U.S. Policymaking Passes Senate

Legislation would ban high-level former government employees from lobbying for countries of concern

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), John Cornyn (R-TX), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Jim Risch (R-ID) cheered the Senate's unanimous passage of their Conflict-free Leaving Employment and Activity Restrictions (CLEAR) Path Act. The CLEAR Path Act would mitigate foreign influence on U.S. policymaking by prohibiting high-level former government employees from lobbying on behalf of certain countries of concern.

"Corrupt foreign nations put their thumb on the scales of American policy through both secret and overt channels of influence. I'm very pleased that the Senate has unanimously passed our bipartisan CLEAR Path Act to stop senior U.S. government officials from selling their expertise and access to benefit America's adversaries after they leave public service," said Whitehouse.

"Foreign adversaries with ill intentions should not wield influence on American policymaking, nor should they exploit our own citizens to intercede on their behalf," said Cornyn. "This commonsense legislation would root out attempts of malign foreign interference and ban high-level former U.S. government employees from lobbying for countries of concern like Russia and China, and I urge its swift passage in the House."

"Public trust in our democratic institutions is eroding. It's vital we set higher standards against potential conflicts of interest for former government employees, particularly when it involves foreign adversaries that might be working to influence U.S. policy," said Welch. "I'm thankful for the support of the Senate on our bipartisan bill and urge my colleagues in the House to join us in this effort to help restore trust in our democracy."

"It isn't right for senior government officials to turn their public service experience into a payout from malign foreign governments," said Risch. "This bill will help prevent corruption at the highest levels of our government, protect our national security, and ensure that our public servants do not abuse their power for the good of America's adversaries."

The CLEAR Path Act would mitigate foreign malign influence in our political system by banning agency heads, deputies, and Senate-confirmed employees from lobbying the executive and legislative branches on behalf of countries of concern like China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba. The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives.

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