WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Peter Welch (D-VT), Jim Risch (R-ID), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced the Conflict-free Leaving Employment and Activity Restrictions (CLEAR) Path Act, which would mitigate foreign influence on U.S. policymaking by prohibiting former government employees from lobbying on behalf of countries of concern:

“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 Sen. Cornyn. “This commonsense legislation would root out attempts of malign foreign interference and permanently ban former U.S. government employees from lobbying for countries of concern like Russia and China.”

“Public trust in our democratic institutions has been eroding,” said Sen. Welch. “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.”

“It isn’t right for senior government officials to turn their public service experience into a payout from malign foreign governments,” said Sen. 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.”

“America is engaged in a clash of civilizations against kleptocrats, international criminals, and corrupt foreign nations that provide them safe harbor,” said Sen. Whitehouse. “Our adversaries exploit both secret and overt channels of influence to put their thumb on the scale of American policy.  I’m glad to join this bipartisan effort to prevent senior U.S. government officials from selling their expertise, access, and influence to shadowy foreign interests after they leave their jobs.”

Background:

With recent attempts by foreign actors to manipulate the U.S. political and governing processes in recent years, the Clear Path Act would seek to mitigate foreign malign influence in our political system by:

• Permanently banning agency heads, deputies, and Senate-confirmed employees from lobbying the executive and legislative branches on behalf of countries of concern, including China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Cuba;
• And including a mechanism to add or remove countries of concern via a Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Judiciary Committee joint resolution and with the concurrence of the U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Attorney General.