{"id":25198,"date":"2026-08-07T14:07:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T18:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/?p=25198"},"modified":"2026-08-07T14:07:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T18:07:08","slug":"merkley-senate-colleagues-introduce-new-legislation-to-close-ethics-loopholes-for-all-officials-representing-the-u-s-abroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/es\/merkley-senate-colleagues-introduce-new-legislation-to-close-ethics-loopholes-for-all-officials-representing-the-u-s-abroad\/","title":{"rendered":"Merkley, Senate Colleagues Introduce New Legislation to Close Ethics Loopholes for All Officials Representing the U.S. Abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"

Washington, D.C. \u2013 Oregon\u2019s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley\u2014a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee\u2014led a group of Senate Democrats in introducing the Transparency in the Administration\u2019s Business Opportunities Overseas (TABOO) Act<\/em>. 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2014or at least impression\u2014that personal profit, rather than the national interest, shapes American foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThere should be no question that officials representing the United States overseas are serving our national interests, not lining their own pockets,\u201d <\/strong>dijo Merkley. "El TABOO Act<\/em> closes the glaring loopholes that allow individuals representing the United States abroad\u2014including Special Envoys and others serving in similar roles\u2014to skirt the law, ensuring America\u2019s foreign policy is not shaped by personal profit.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

El TABOO Act <\/em>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).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhen 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\u2019s national security interests\u2014not 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,\u201d <\/strong>dijo Kaine. \u201cThis legislation will ensure individuals given the privilege of representing the United States are actually working for the American people.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe baseline expectation for anyone representing the U.S. abroad in any official capacity is that they have our nation\u2019s best interests at heart and are not looking to line their own pockets,\u201d <\/strong>said Rosen. \u201cI\u2019m 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.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cEvery person who represents our nation in negotiations with foreign governments should be held to the highest ethical standard,\u201d <\/strong>dijo Duckworth. \u201cThis Administration has sent a troubling number of Trump\u2019s 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\u2019s interests are always put first\u2014and this bill helps us do that.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAmerican foreign policy decisions should be based on the interests of our national security \u2013 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 \u2013 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,\u201d <\/strong>dijo van hollen.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe people who represent Americans overseas should actually represent American interests, not their own personal businesses or foreign governments,\u201d <\/strong>said Coons. \u201cAs President Trump embroils us in foreign wars and economic conflict across the globe, the administration\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

de Merkley TABOO Act <\/em>is included in his brand-new\u00a0For Our Republic Act<\/em><\/a>, a 10-part legislative action plan to stand up to Trump’s authoritarian playbook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

El TABOO Act <\/em>har\u00eda:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n