Merkley, Senate Colleagues Introduce New Legislation to Close Ethics Loopholes for All Officials Representing the U.S. Abroad

Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley-a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee-led a group of Senate Democrats in introducing the Transparency in the Administration's Business Opportunities Overseas (TABOO) Act. The new legislation mandates strong ethics requirements for every individual representing the United States government in negotiations with foreign governments and international multilateral organizations, including Special Envoys and other officials serving in similar roles as paid employees, volunteers, or in unpaid capacities.

These individuals representing the United States, such as Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, frequently exercise significant authority and speak for the country on sensitive diplomatic and national security matters. However, current gaps in federal law allow individuals serving in these roles to conduct high-stakes negotiations with foreign governments while holding undisclosed financial interests in those same countries, creating the risk-or at least impression-that personal profit, rather than the national interest, shapes American foreign policy.

"There should be no question that officials representing the United States overseas are serving our national interests, not lining their own pockets," said Merkley. "The TABOO Act closes the glaring loopholes that allow individuals representing the United States abroad-including Special Envoys and others serving in similar roles-to skirt the law, ensuring America's foreign policy is not shaped by personal profit."

The TABOO Act is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Jack Reed (D-RI).

"When someone is given the honor of representing the United States in a sensitive diplomatic negotiation, it is a basic expectation that they will prioritize America's national security interests-not their personal pocketbooks. But many senior officials in the Trump-Vance Administration seem to openly disdain this public trust and instead see their roles primarily as a means for personal enrichment and brazen corruption," said Kaine. "This legislation will ensure individuals given the privilege of representing the United States are actually working for the American people."

"The baseline expectation for anyone representing the U.S. abroad in any official capacity is that they have our nation's best interests at heart and are not looking to line their own pockets," said Rosen. "I'm glad to help introduce this bill to ensure that no one in a position to negotiate with foreign governments or international organizations on behalf of the American people has any conflicts of interest."

"Every person who represents our nation in negotiations with foreign governments should be held to the highest ethical standard," said Duckworth. "This Administration has sent a troubling number of Trump's cronies to represent the U.S. in high-stakes negotiations with foreign countries they have vested business interests in. When we send negotiators abroad, we must hold them accountable and ensure America's interests are always put first-and this bill helps us do that."

"American foreign policy decisions should be based on the interests of our national security - not the personal profit of any one person. This common-sense legislation extends existing ethics and financial disclosure requirements to Special Envoys and others negotiating on behalf of the United States - helping ensure that no individual can use their connections to sell access to the highest levels of our government for personal profit, as we have seen President Trump, his friends, and family do time and again," said Van Hollen.

"The people who represent Americans overseas should actually represent American interests, not their own personal businesses or foreign governments," said Coons. "As President Trump embroils us in foreign wars and economic conflict across the globe, the administration's special envoys are playing an ever more important role in protecting our citizens. The American people deserve transparency into who they are and who they represent."

Merkley's TABOO Act is included in his brand-new For Our Republic Act, a 10-part legislative action plan to stand up to Trump's authoritarian playbook.

The TABOO Act would:

• Deem all individuals in covered positions to be officers or employees for purposes of federal bribery, graft, and conflict of interest laws, regardless of employment, compensation, or volunteer status;
• Designate individuals serving as Special Envoys or in similar positions as public financial disclosure filers;
• Limit filing extensions for these individuals to no more than 30 days;
• Require individuals, within 30 days of starting, to certify in writing that they hold no financial interest, including any interest held by a spouse or immediate family member, in the countries they will work with, to divest or place any pre-existing interest in a qualified blind trust within 60 days, and to commit to acquiring no new financial interest in those countries for 1 year after vacating the position;
• Require the Executive Branch to provide a quarterly list of all individuals serving as Special Envoys or in similar positions, along with a brief description of their duties and the countries and organizations they are expected to engage with; and
• Outline enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance with the requirements set forth in the Act.

Full text of the TABOO Act can be found by clicking here.

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