WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jim Risch (R-ID), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) released the following statements after their Preventing Adversary Influence, Disinformation and Obscured Foreign Financing (PAID OFF) Act, which would help close Foreign Agents Registration Act loopholes that allow unregistered agents of foreign adversaries to lobby in the United States, passed the Senate as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026:

“American policy should not in any way reflect the handiwork of foreign adversaries who are actively working to tip the scales in their favor and undermine our interests,” said Sen. Cornyn. “By exposing the efforts of countries of concern like China or Russia to exert malign influence, this legislation would better safeguard U.S. decision making.”

“When foreign adversaries skirt loopholes to lobby Congress, they directly threaten our democracy,” said Sen. Whitehouse. “This bipartisan amendment is long overdue and will help prevent unregistered foreign agents from putting a thumb on the scale of American policy.”

“For years, the United States’ biggest adversaries have exploited loopholes in U.S. lobbying laws to influence senior government officials and advance their geopolitical goals,” said Sen. Risch. “Well-known examples include Russia’s efforts to prevent sanctions against its Nord Stream 2 pipeline and Chinese surveillance firm Hikvision’s attempts to avoid sanctions. This provision will close key loopholes to ensure transparency and accountability of malign foreign lobbying efforts in the United States.”

“Foreign adversaries like China and Russia should never be allowed to covertly influence American policy or public opinion,” said Sen. Tillis. “I’m proud the Senate passed this bipartisan legislation in the NDAA to close dangerous loopholes and strengthen our national security.”

Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) are cosponsors of this legislation.

Background:

The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) has not been amended since the 1990s, and the law has not kept up with modern foreign adversary influence campaigns using commercial activities and registration loopholes as subterfuge to advance malign interests. Currently, agents representing foreign adversaries are able to avoid FARA registration by claiming a commercial activity, domestic interest, or Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) exemption, which shields their influence and advocacy from the Department of Justice. This legislation would close these loopholes by requiring agents working on behalf of a Chinese, Russian, Iranian, North Korean, or Cuban government or commercial entity to register under FARA, providing greater transparency into their influence campaigns. The legislation would sunset after five years. This legislation passed the Senate as part of the first manager’s package of amendments to the NDAA, and Sen. Cornyn will introduce the text as a standalone bill.