FAS

Foreign Agents Registration Act, and More from CRS

12.11.17 | 2 min read | Text by Steven Aftergood

“In the wake of the 2016 election, concerns have been raised with respect to the legal regime governing foreign influence in domestic politics,” a new report from the Congressional Research Service notes. “The central law concerning the activities of the agents of foreign entities acting in the United States is the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).”

Significantly, that law does not prohibit “representation of foreign interests or limited distribution of foreign propaganda. Instead, the Act provides only for public disclosure of any such activities. FARA’s legislative history indicates that Congress believed such disclosure would best combat foreign influence by informing the American public of the actions taken and information distributed on behalf of foreign sources.” See The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA): A Legal Overview, December 4, 2017.

Other new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following.

“Extraordinary Measures” and the Debt Limit, CRS Insight, December 8, 2017

Efforts to Address Seasonal Agricultural Import Competition in the NAFTA Renegotiation, December 7, 2017

Retirement Benefits for Members of Congress, updated December 5, 2017

The Child and Dependent Care Credit: Impact of Selected Policy Options, December 5, 2017

Public Sector Union Dues: Grappling with Fixed Stars and Stare Decisis (Part I), CRS Legal Sidebar, December 4, 2017

EPA’s Clean Power Plan for Existing Power Plants: Frequently Asked Questions, updated December 4, 2017

Changes to “Too Big To Fail?”: Treasury Recommends Revisions to Dodd-Frank SIFI Designation Process for Non-Banks (Part I), CRS Legal Sidebar, December 1, 2017

Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs): Background and Issues for Congress, December 1, 2017

Cuba: U.S. Restrictions on Travel and Remittances, updated December 4, 2017

Haiti’s Political and Economic Conditions: In Brief, December 1, 2017

Yemen: Civil War and Regional Intervention, updated December 7, 2017

Lebanon, updated December 7, 2017

Oman: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy, updated December 4, 2017

Natural Disasters of 2017: Congressional Considerations Related to FEMA Assistance, CRS Insight, December 6, 2017

FEMA’s Firefighter Assistance Grants: Reauthorization or Sunset?, CRS Insight, December 5, 2017

What Happens If the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Lapses?, CRS Insight, December 5, 2017

Russian Compliance with the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty: Background and Issues for Congress, updated December 6, 2017