Austin News

U.S. Senators John Cornyn, Peter Welch, and Jim Risch have introduced the Conflict-free Leaving Employment and Activity Restrictions (CLEAR) Path Act. This proposed legislation aims to reduce foreign influence on U.S. policymaking by preventing former government employees from lobbying for countries considered adversaries.

Senator Cornyn stated, "When it comes to influencing U.S. policymaking, our adversaries will stop at nothing to get what they want – including using our own citizens to act on their behalf." He emphasized that the bill would permanently ban former U.S. government employees from lobbying for nations like Russia and China.

Senator Welch highlighted concerns about public trust in democratic institutions, saying, "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."

Senator Risch noted the challenges posed by competition with America's adversaries: "Whether it’s Huawei or Nord Stream 2, our adversaries have demonstrated that they will pay top dollar for the sensitive information, access, and connections of senior U.S. officials." He added that this legislation is intended to prevent such corruption by banning former senior State Department officials from working on behalf of countries like China, Russia, Iran, Cuba, North Korea, and the Assad regime.

The CLEAR Path Act seeks to address gaps in regulations under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which has not been updated in over 15 years. The bill proposes a permanent ban on agency heads and other high-ranking officials from lobbying for certain countries and introduces a two-year cooling-off period before these individuals can lobby for other nations.

Additionally, the act includes a mechanism allowing changes to the list of countries of concern through a joint resolution by relevant congressional committees with input from the Secretary of State and Attorney General.