Warren, Kim Unveil Bill to Require Presidential Nominees to Disclose Past Work for Foreign Governments

Warren, Kim Unveil Bill to Require Presidential Nominees to Disclose Past Work for Foreign Governments

Bill comes amid scrutiny of Trump nominees, like Tulsi Gabbard, who pose national security risks

Bill Text (PDF) | Bill One-Pager (PDF)

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, and Representative Andy Kim (D-N.J.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, introduced the National Security Officials' Foreign Employment Disclosure Act to require nominees for the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of State (State), Department of the Treasury (Treasury), and the Intelligence Community to report any work performed for and financial compensation received from a foreign government.

In 2024, an investigation by the Washington Post found that some previous nominees for national security roles did not publicly disclose if they'd worked for or received compensation from a foreign government. As a result, some nominees assumed their new government positions leading national security policy without disclosing crucial information that could shine light on possible conflicts of interest or national security threats.

The National Security Officials' Foreign Employment Disclosure Act increases transparency and mitigates risk by requiring nominees for the Departments of Defense, State, and Treasury, along with nominees for intelligence agencies, to:

• Publicly disclose any foreign work for a country, political party, or other government entity in the last 5 years;
• Provide the source, type, and amount of any foreign compensation received by the nominee during the last 5 years on a U.S. government website; and
• Allow the relevant Department to share any waivers that were requested by the nominee to work for a foreign government.

Earlier this year, Representative Kim secured a portion of this bill that would require disclosure for DoD nominees in the House of Representatives' version of the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act.

"The American people shouldn't have to worry that high-ranking government officials are in the pocket of a foreign government," said Senator Warren. "The National Security Officials' Foreign Employment Disclosure Act will guarantee the public and Congress can consider a nominee's potential loyalties before their confirmation."

"At a time when trust in government is at historic lows, we need to be taking steps to show the American people they can have faith that their government officials are working to serve their interests first," said Congressman Kim. "This bill would help prioritize transparency in the confirmation process, mitigate foreign influence, and bolster people's confidence in presidential nominees as they seek to represent our country's national security interests."

This bill is endorsed by the Project on Government Oversight and Transparency International U.S.

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