House Judiciary Committee approves the Disclosing Foreign Influence Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Judiciary Committee today approved the Disclosing Foreign Influence Act (H.R. 4170) by a vote of 15-6. This bipartisan piece of legislation updates the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) to improve the transparency and give enforcement authority to the Department of Justice. Representative Mike Johnson (R-La.) is the chief sponsor of H.R. 4170.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued the following statement:

“The House Judiciary Committee voted today in favor of transparency and accountability. By closing the dangerous loopholes in the Foreign Agents Registration Act, this legislation gives the Department of Justice the crucial enforcement tools it needs to investigate foreign agents, identify fraud, and hold violators accountable. I appreciate all of the hard work that Representative Johnson has put into this bipartisan bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it.”

Background:

A 2016 OIG report regarding the Department of Justice (DOJ) National Security Division found that DOJ lacked a comprehensive enforcement strategy and the tools necessary to address abuse of foreign lobbying efforts. H.R. 4170 addresses the ambiguity in the existing law and increases transparency and oversight in DOJ enforcement efforts.