119-s2728

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2728 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 2728

To prohibit the use of United States embassies or consulates in raising 
 funds for foreign political parties or candidates.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 September 4, 2025

 Mr. Markey introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
 referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To prohibit the use of United States embassies or consulates in raising 
 funds for foreign political parties or candidates.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``No Foreign Fundraising at United 
States Embassies Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

 Congress makes the following findings:

    (1) The Department of State's mission is to protect and 
 promote security, prosperity, and democratic values, not to 
 pursue the interests of any political party in the United 
 States or abroad.

    (2) Meeting with and building relationships with a range of 
 political parties in foreign countries are appropriate and 
 important functions consistent with the duties of any United 
 States Ambassador or representative of the United States 
 Government abroad.

    (3) It is the longstanding and bipartisan practice of the 
 United States to encourage rule of law and free speech abroad, 
 without regard for political party or affiliation.

    (4) The use of United States embassy or consulate grounds, 
 or the grounds of any other United States diplomatic post, to 
 raise funds for any foreign political party or candidate in a 
 foreign democratic electoral process is inappropriate and 
 distinct from longstanding Department of State efforts to stand 
 against corruption and advance democratic institutions and 
 values around the world.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON HOSTING OF FOREIGN PARTY POLITICAL EVENTS AT 
 UNITED STATES EMBASSIES.

    (a) Statement of 

=== Policy ===
-It is the policy of the United States to 
maintain strict political neutrality in the internal electoral 
processes of foreign countries and to ensure that diplomatic resources, 
including embassies, consulates, and other posts, are not used to 
confer financial or electoral advantage to any foreign political party 
or candidate.

    (b) In General.--No Federal funds, and no personal funds of a 
United States Ambassador or other United States official, may be 
obligated or expended to host a fundraising event for, or on behalf of, 
a foreign political party or candidate at a United States embassy or 
consulate or any other United States diplomatic post.
            (c) Fundraising Event Defined.--In this section, the term 
``fundraising event'' means an event intended to raise funds for, or on 
behalf of, a political party or candidate, including by knowingly 
facilitating contact between potential donors and political parties or 
candidates for fundraising purposes.
            (d) Restriction on Entertainment and Representation Expenses.--

Section 905 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4085) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: ``The Secretary may not 
provide for official receptions or pay expenses related to activities 
by the Department or the Service, hosted by a United States embassy or 
consulate or other United States diplomatic post, intended to raise 
funds for or on behalf of a foreign political party or candidate.''.

    (e) Additional Restriction on Expenditures.--

Section 4

    (b)

    (2)
        (H) of 
the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 
2671

    (b)

    (2)
        (H) ) is amended by inserting ``, other than functions at a 
United States embassy or consulate or any other United States 
diplomatic post intended to raise funds for or on behalf of a foreign 
political party or candidate'' after ``allowances''.

    (f) Revision of DSSR and FAM.--

    (1) In general.--The Secretary of State shall revise the 
 Department of State Standardized Regulations

    (DSSR) and the 
 Foreign Affairs Manual

    (FAM) to prohibit the use of a United 
 States embassy or consulate or any other United States 
 diplomatic post in a manner intended to raise funds for or on 
 behalf of a foreign political party or candidate, reflect the 
 prohibitions on expenditures under this section, and discourage 
 any activity hosted by a United States embassy or consulate or 
 other United States diplomatic post that could be construed as 
 promoting the financial interest of any foreign political party 
 or candidate relative to others engaged in a democratic 
 electoral process.

    (2) Certification.--Not less than 90 days after the date of 
 the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall certify to the 
 appropriate congressional committees that the revisions 
 required under paragraph

    (1) have been made.

    (3) Appropriate congressional committees defined.--In this 
 subsection, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
 means the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the 
 Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.
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