October 23, 2025
Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Risch, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Hagerty, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Welch, Mr. Grassley, and Mr. Kennedy) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
To amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended, to modify requirements under that Act relating to exemptions, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Treatment of exemptions under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938
This Act may be cited as the Preventing Adversary Influence, Disinformation, and Obscured Foreign Financing Act of 2025
or the PAID OFF Act of 2025
.
Sec. 2. Treatment of exemptions under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938
Section 3 of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 613), is amended—
(1)
in the matter preceding subsection (a), by inserting , except as provided in subsection (i)
after principals
; and
(2)
by adding at the end the following:
(i) Limitations
The exemptions under subsections (d)(1), (d)(2), and (h) shall not apply to any agent of a foreign principal that is a corporate or government entity that is owned or controlled by 1 or more of the identified countries listed in clauses (i) through (v) of section 1(m)(1)(A) of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2651a(m)(1)(A)).
Sec. 3. Mechanism to amend definition of country of concern
Section 1(m) of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2651a(m)) is amended—
(1)
by redesignating paragraphs (6) and (7) as paragraphs (7) and (8), respectively; and
(2)
by inserting after paragraph (5) the following:
(6) Modification to definition of
country of concern(A) In general
The Secretary of State may, in consultation with the Attorney General, propose the addition or deletion of countries described in paragraph (1)(A).
(B) Submission
Any proposal described in subparagraph (A) shall—
(i)
be submitted to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives; and
(ii)
become effective upon enactment of a joint resolution of approval as described in subparagraph (C).
(C) Joint resolution of approval
(i) In general
For purposes of subparagraph (B)(ii), the term joint resolution of approval means only a joint resolution—
(I)
that does not have a preamble;
(II)
that includes in the matter after the resolving clause the following:
That Congress approves the modification of the definition of, the blank spaces being appropriately filled in with the appropriate date and the amendatory language required to modify the list of countries in paragraph (1)(A) of this subsection by adding or deleting 1 or more countries; andcountry of concernunder section 1(m) of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956, as submitted by the Secretary of State on ____; and section 1(m)(1)(A) of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2651a(m)(1)(A)) is amended by ______.(III)
the title of which is as follows:
Joint resolution approving modifications to definition of.country of concernunder section 1(m) of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956.(ii) Referral
(I) Senate
A resolution described in clause (i) that is introduced in the Senate shall be referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
(II) House of Representatives
A resolution described in clause (i) that is introduced in the House of Representatives shall be referred to the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives.
Sec. 4. Sunset
The amendments made by this Act shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act.