“A bill to prohibit the use of United States embassies or consulates in raising funds for foreign political parties or candidates.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section states congressional findings that (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 functions of any U.S. ambassador or representative; (3) it is longstanding bipartisan U.S. practice to encourage rule of law and free speech abroad without regard to political party or affiliation; and (4) using U.S. embassy, consulate, or diplomatic post grounds to raise funds for any foreign political party or candidate is inappropriate.
This section prohibits the obligation or expenditure of federal funds or personal funds of a U.S. ambassador or other U.S. official to host a fundraising event for, or on behalf of, a foreign political party or candidate at a U.S. embassy, consulate, or other diplomatic post (i.e., an event intended to raise funds, including by facilitating donor contacts). It (1) states a U.S. policy of strict political neutrality in foreign elections; (2) amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to bar the Secretary of State from funding official receptions or related expenses for such events hosted at diplomatic posts; (3) amends specified representational allowances under the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2671(b)(2)(H)) to exclude such functions; and (4) directs the Secretary to revise the Department of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR) and Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) to implement these prohibitions and discourage related activities, with certification to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and House Committee on Foreign Affairs within 90 days of enactment. (As background, 22 U.S.C. 2671 authorizes State Department expenditures for urgent diplomatic and consular emergencies, including representational functions subject to certification.)