II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4832 

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 

OCTOBER 21 (legislative day, OCTOBER 19), 2020 

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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Opposing Foreign 

5 Fundraising at United States Embassies Act of 2020’’ or 

6 the ‘‘OFF U.S. Embassies Act of 2020’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

8 Congress makes the following findings: 

9 (1) The promotion of democratic institutions 

10 and free and fair elections is a key foreign policy iniVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:48 Oct 28, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4832.IS S4832

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1 tiative of the United States, carried out by the De2 partment of State through its embassies, diplomats, 

3 programs, and policies around the world. 

4 (2) Meeting with and building relationships 

5 with a range of political parties in foreign countries 

6 are appropriate and important functions consistent 

7 with the duties of any United States Ambassador or 

8 representative of the United States Government 

9 abroad. 

10 (3) It is the longstanding and bipartisan prac11 tice of the United States to encourage democratic 

12 norms, free and fair elections, rule of law, and free 

13 speech abroad, without regard for political party or 

14 affiliation. 

15 (4) The use of United States embassy or con16 sulate grounds, or the grounds of any other United 

17 States diplomatic post, to raise funds for any foreign 

18 political party or candidate in a foreign democratic 

19 electoral process is inappropriate and distinct from 

20 longstanding Department of State efforts to engage 

21 with foreign persons, including democracy activists 

22 and representatives of political parties, to advance 

23 democratic institutions and universal values around 

24 the world. 


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1 (5) On September 10, 2020, United States Am2 bassador to the Netherlands Pete Hoekstra held a 

3 private event for a Dutch political party and its do4 nors at the United States Embassy in The Hague. 

5 (6) The invitations to the event asked guests to 

6 join the United States Embassy ‘‘at the invitation of 

7 the Forum for Democracy and Pete Hoekstra,’’ and 

8 included contact details for the ‘‘Head of Fund9 raising’’ of that foreign political party. 

10 (7) Prior donors to the political party were in11 vited and attended the event at the United States 

12 Embassy. 

13 (8) The leader of the foreign political party 

14 used the event at the United States Embassy to 

15 speak about campaign strategy and to display a 

16 video made ahead of the 2021 electoral campaign in 

17 the Netherlands. 

18 (9) Following news reports highlighting the 

19 similarities between the September 10, 2020, event 

20 held at the United States Embassy and a political 

21 fundraiser, Dutch lawmakers raised concerns, with 

22 one member of parliament calling on the Dutch For23 eign Ministry to investigate whether Ambassador 

24 Hoekstra had ‘‘facilitated a fund raising event for a 

25 political party’’. 


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1 (10) Such behavior is part of a pattern in which 

2 Department of State officials under President Don3 ald J. Trump have publicly engaged in political ac4 tivities that break with the longstanding practice of 

5 not using one’s official position to lend support to 

6 particular parties or candidates, domestic or foreign, 

7 with whom one shares a partisan affinity. 

8 (11) In 2018, United States Ambassador to 

9 Germany Richard Grenell said, from his official resi10 dence in Berlin, ‘‘I absolutely want to empower 

11 other conservatives throughout Europe’’ and praised 

12 the leader of an Austrian political party, leading 

13 multiple German political figures to publicly rebuke 

14 the United States Ambassador for political inter15 ference. 

16 SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON HOSTING OF FOREIGN PARTY PO17 LITICAL EVENTS AT UNITED STATES EMBAS18 SIES. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—No Federal funds may be obli20 gated or expended to host a fundraising event for, or on 

21 behalf of, a foreign political party or candidate at a United 

22 States embassy or consulate or any other United States 

23 diplomatic post. 

24 (b) FUNDRAISING EVENT DEFINED.—In this section, 

25 the term ‘‘fundraising event’’ means an event intended to 


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1 raise funds for, or on behalf of, a political party or can2 didate, including by knowingly facilitating contact between 

3 potential donors and political parties or candidates for 

4 fundraising purposes. 

5 (c) RESTRICTION ON ENTERTAINMENT AND REP6 RESENTATION EXPENSES.—Section 905 of the Foreign 

7 Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4085) is amended by add8 ing at the end the following: ‘‘The Secretary may not pro9 vide for official receptions or pay expenses related to ac10 tivities by the Department or the Service, hosted by a 

11 United States embassy or consulate or other United States 

12 diplomatic post, intended to raise funds for or on behalf 

13 of a foreign political party or candidate.’’. 

14 (d) ADDITIONAL RESTRICTION ON EXPENDI15 TURES.—Section 4(b)(2)(H) of the State Department 

16 Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2671(b)(2)(H)) 

17 is amended by inserting ‘‘, other than functions at a 

18 United States embassy or consulate or any other United 

19 States diplomatic post intended to raise funds for or on 

20 behalf of a foreign political party or candidate’’ after ‘‘al21 lowances’’. 

22 (e) REVISION OF DSSR AND FAM.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall 

24 revise the Department of State Standardized Regu25 lations (DSSR) and the Foreign Affairs Manual 


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1 (FAM) to prohibit the use of a United States em2 bassy or consulate or any other United States diplo3 matic post in a manner intended to raise funds for 

4 or on behalf of a foreign political party or candidate, 

5 reflect the prohibitions on expenditures under this 

6 section, and discourage any activity hosted by a 

7 United States embassy or consulate or other United 

8 States diplomatic post that could be construed as 

9 promoting the financial interest of any foreign polit10 ical party or candidate relative to others engaged in 

11 a democratic electoral process. 

12 (2) CERTIFICATION.—Not less than 90 days 

13 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec14 retary shall certify to the appropriate congressional 

15 committees that the revisions required under para16 graph (1) have been made. 

17 (3) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT18 TEES DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘ap19 propriate congressional committees’’ means the 

20 Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and 

21 the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 

22 Representatives. 

Æ 


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