# Fighting Foreign Influence Act: What You Need to Know

This bill takes aim at foreign money and influence in American politics and policy-making through three main strategies. The first part requires think tanks and nonprofit organizations to publicly disclose when they receive more than $50,000 in donations from foreign governments or foreign political parties. These organizations would have to report this information annually, and the government would create a searchable database so anyone can look up which foreign entities are funding which American organizations. This means if a foreign government wants to influence American policy through funding research institutions or advocacy groups, those donations would become public knowledge.

The second part creates a permanent ban on certain high-ranking Americans from becoming foreign agents or lobbyists. Specifically, former members of Congress, senior political appointees (like cabinet members and top White House staff), and military generals and admirals would be permanently prohibited from registering as foreign agents or representing foreign governments and political parties. Currently, there's only a one-year cooling-off period for some of these officials, so this would close that revolving door where politicians leave office and immediately start lobbying for foreign interests.

The third part tightens rules around campaign donations made online. Political campaigns would have to require anyone making an online donation with a credit card to provide the card's security code (the three-digit number on the back). For donations from people living abroad, campaigns would need to verify they're actually U.S. citizens or permanent residents by checking their passport or other identification. Additionally, the bill prohibits registered foreign agents from delivering campaign contributions to candidates, even if the money itself comes from American citizens—essentially preventing foreign agents from using their connections to bundle or funnel donations to political campaigns.