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U.S. Foreign Influence Laws

Amidst concern about foreign influence, the Justice Department has ramped up enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

While policymakers understandably want to protect U.S. politics from foreign interference, FARA is overly broad and vague. It has been repeatedly used in a politicized manner to target nonprofits and activists, and states have adopted their own “mini-FARA” legislation. To address this problem, the U.S. Program has called for better targeting of U.S. foreign influence laws.

FARA Primers

Introductions to FARA

• ICNL, Navigating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, March 2026 

• ICNL’s short briefer on reforming the Foreign Agents Registration Act to protect U.S. nonprofits , March 2026

• Nick Robinson, FARA is a Catchall Statute-and That’s a Problem, Lawfare, January 2025

In-Depth Analysis

ICNL, “Foreign Agents” in an Interconnected World: FARA and the Weaponization of Transparency, Duke Law Journal (2020)

Influence Abroad

• ICNL, Foreign Influence Registration Laws and Civil Society: An Analysis (2025)

• ICNL, FARA’s Double Life Abroad (2023)

ICNL’s FARA Resources

Members of Congress have introduced a number of bills to amend FARA. This tracker follows such legislation introduced since the 115th Congress (2017-2018).

FARA Advisory Opinions

This page compiles Justice Department advisory opinions related to FARA that are particularly relevant to U.S. civil society.

FARA Congressional Investigations

A number of investigations of civil society organizations by Congress have been based on claimed FARA violations. This page tracks such investigations since 2018.

State Foreign Influence Legislation 

A number of US states have introduced or enacted foreign influence legislation, often modeled on FARA. This tracker follows these state bills introduced since 2024. 

Other Resources

This page provides additional FARA resources, including ICNL submissions and sign on letters to the Justice Department as well as select articles on FARA.

 
For more information contact Nick Robinson at nrobinson@icnl.org.