Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA): Background and Issues for Congress

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Report metadata

Identifier

R46435

Version

4

Product type

Reports

Status

Active

Published

Sep 15, 2026

Source updated

Sep 17, 2026, 2:08 pm UTC

Authors: Jacob R. Straus

Politically.com intentionally does not reproduce the report summary or full text. Use the official Congress.gov links above to read the product in its source context.

Structured Congress.gov references

Related federal bills

• HR 2811Foreign Agents Registration Modernization and Enforcement Act
  115th Congress
• S 625Foreign Agents Registration Modernization and Enforcement Act
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• HR 4170Disclosing Foreign Influence Act
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• HR 6249REFUSE Act
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• S 2039Disclosing Foreign Influence Act
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• S 1762A bill to amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 to provide the Attorney General with greater authority to promote enforcement and disclosure requirements for agents of foreign principals, and for other purposes.
  116th Congress
• HR 2819Political Intelligence Transparency Act of 2017
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• HR 5150To amend the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, the Financial Stability Act of 2010, and the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 to improve access to information in the legislative and executive branches of the Government, and for other purposes.
  116th Congress
• S 2482Foreign Agents Registration Amendments Act of 2018
  115th Congress
• HR 3505To provide that a former Member of Congress or former senior Congressional employee who receives compensation as a lobbyist representing a foreign principal shall not be eligible for retirement benefits or certain other Federal benefits.
  115th Congress
• HR 4343Foreign Lobbying Reform Act
  112th Congress
• HR 484DRAIN the SWAMP Act
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• HR 6476DRAIN the SWAMP Act
  114th Congress
• HR 2564Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995
  104th Congress
• HR 1566To amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 to ensure online access to the registration statements filed under such Act, and for other purposes.
  116th Congress
• HR 1Voter Empowerment Act of 2019
  116th Congress
• HR 9393To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to treat certain foreign-owned corporations and business organizations as foreign nationals for purposes of the ban on campaign activity, to prohibit foreign-affiliated section 501(c)(4) organizations from making contributions to super PACs or disbursing funds for independent expenditures or electioneering communications, to amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 to reform the procedures for the registration of agents of foreign principals under such Act, and for other purposes.
  118th Congress
• HR 8155To amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act to require certain disclosures on informational materials, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 1724A bill to amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 to provide the Attorney General with greater authority to promote enforcement of disclosure requirements for agents of foreign principals, and for other purposes.
  117th Congress
• S 1364A bill to amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 to provide the Attorney General with greater authority to promote enforcement of disclosure requirements for agents of foreign principals, and for other purposes.
  118th Congress
• HR 4847To provide for limitations on general license authorities under the Syria Sanctions Regulations.
  118th Congress
• HR 6107To amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to authorize certain extraordinary operation and maintenance work for urban canals of concern.
  118th Congress
• S 1488A bill to amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended, to clarify the exemption relating to commercial activities, to grant the Attorney General authority to issue civil investigative demands under that Act, and to create civil penalties for failure to meet the registration requirements under that Act, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 3050A bill to amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended, to modify requirements under that Act relating to exemptions, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 1887To amend the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to require certain disclosures by registrants regarding exemptions under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended.
  119th Congress
• S 865A bill to amend the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to require certain disclosures by registrants regarding exemptions under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended.
  119th Congress
• HR 2516To provide that a former Member of Congress or former senior congressional employee who receives compensation as a lobbyist shall not be eligible for retirement benefits or certain other Federal benefits.
  118th Congress
• HR 3554To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand access to the Veterans Community Care Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs to include certain veterans seeking mental health or substance-use services, and for other purposes.
  118th Congress
• S 1850A bill to amend the Commodity Exchange Act to extend the jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to include the oversight of markets that set or report reference prices for aluminum premiums, and for other purposes.
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