S. 856 Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act
S. 856 was introduced on 3/05/2025 by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA). It passed the Senate on December 16, 2025 with unanimous consent and is currently held at the desk of the House of Representatives.
Related legislation:
Bill Summary: S. 856 amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to strengthen transparency regarding foreign influence in U.S. lobbying activities. Specifically, it adds a new paragraph to 2 U.S.C. 1603(b), which states what must be included in a lobbyist’s registration. This new requirement mandates the disclosure of “the name and address of each government of a foreign country (including any agency or subdivision of a government of a foreign country, such as a regional or municipal unit of government) and foreign political party, other than the client, that participates in the direction, planning, supervision, or control of any lobbying activities of the registrant.” This change closes a potential loophole in the original U.S. Code, which previously required disclosure of foreign entities only if they held ownership stakes, contributed funds, or were affiliated with the client. The amendment ensures that foreign actors exerting influence, even informally or indirectly, must now be publicly identified in lobbying disclosures, reinforcing safeguards against undisclosed foreign intervention in U.S. policymaking.
Context: S.856 strengthens the integrity of the U.S. lobbying regime by explicitly requiring the disclosure of foreign influence behind the scenes. While the bipartisan bill is largely motivated by growing concern over covert efforts by adversaries such as China and Russia to manipulate U.S. political processes, a notable consequence is that it will also bring greater transparency to the lobbying efforts of U.S. partners, including NATO members, Indo-Pacific, and Middle Eastern governments that have generated significant arms shipments with concerning human rights records and strategic interests. This bill marks an important step forward in comprehensive lobbying transparency, applying the same scrutiny to both adversaries and allies in the interest of democratic accountability and strengthening democratic institutions.
American Values Analysis: S. 856 reflects core American values of transparency, accountability, and democratic oversight. By requiring the disclosure of foreign involvement in lobbying efforts, S. 856 empowers citizens and watchdog institutions to better understand and evaluate who is influencing U.S. policy.
American Interest Analysis: American institutions have undergone significant criticism and concerns regarding the influence of foreign governments through lobbying resulting in a loss of confidence in our democratic institutions. S. 856 plays an important step in closing loopholes and increasing transparency in how foreign governments might seek to influence policy makers. Thus, S. 856 is in line with American interest of strengthening democratic institutions and bringing to light foreign influence through lobbying,
A New Policy’s Recommendation: SUPPORT
A New Policy supports S. 856 as the bill’s objective to bring sunlight to foreign actors seeking to influence policy makers in the United States is in line with American values and interests while bringing greater transparency to the American political process. However, to strengthen this bill, A New Policy supports an amendment that ensures that foreign government participation in the "direction, planning, supervision, or control" in all of the activities undertaken by a registered lobbyist are captured, as these activities which may include public advocacy campaigns intended to influence Congress, or foreign travel taken for educational purposes, may fall outside the existing reporting requirements.
For more information please contact: Josh Paul, (202) 770-0055, info@anewpolicy.org
