Washington, DC — U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) andJohn Cornyn (R-TX) yesterday introduced the Counter Kleptocracy Coordination Act, bipartisan legislation creating a statutory position on the White House National Security Council (NSC) dedicated to combatting kleptocracy and foreign corruption.
“The United States is engaged in an intensifying clash of civilizations between rule-of-law nations and those governed by kleptocrats and international criminals. The national security stakes in this contest are high. Our legislation would give the National Security Council a permanent, steady hand to coordinate counter-kleptocracy efforts across the government’s national security apparatus,” said Whitehouse, who has long led the charge in the Senate to strengthen America’s hand against international corruption and kleptocracy.
“Russia, China, Iran, and other rogue regimes use corruption and kleptocracy to tear down democracy and fuel global conflict,” said Cornyn. “This legislation would streamline our nation’s efforts to sniff out corruption abroad and hold bad actors accountable.”
The Counter Kleptocracy Coordination Act clarifies that, among its many duties, the NSC is responsible for assessing the national security implications of foreign corruption and kleptocracy and coordinating government efforts to counter such threats, and requires the President to dedicate an NSC staffer to this effort. This NSC staffer would be charged with updating and coordinating the implementation of the U.S. Strategy on Countering Corruption, coordinating and deconflicting anti-corruption and counter-kleptocracy initiatives across the government, and informing NSC deliberations by highlighting the wide-ranging and destabilizing effects of corruption on a variety of national security issues.
The language was modeled after two other statutory positions at the NSC: the Coordinator for Combating Malign Foreign Influence Operations and Campaigns and the Special Advisor to the President on International Religious Freedom. Whitehouse and Cornyn have introduced similar language as amendments to the annual National Defense Authorization Act the last two years.
“The need to fight corruption across the world has quickly become a new center of gravity in the U.S.’s national security and foreign policy goals, and the single most important barrier to prosperity and freedom in nations across the world,” said Scott Greytak, Director of Advocacy for Transparency International U.S. “The past few years have shown a sea change in American anticorruption law and policy, and by establishing a high-level, and permanent, anticorruption position at the National Security Council, the United States Government can help guarantee the impact and durability of its commitments to, and progress toward, winning the fight against authoritarianism and kleptocracy.”
“Over the past several years, the U.S. and our partners around the world have made tremendous strides in strengthening anti-corruption governance and enforcement. The bipartisan Counter Kleptocracy Coordination Act of 2024 recognizes that kleptocracy is a cross-cutting security challenge requiring whole-of-government coordination and engagement, with the National Security Council playing a crucial role,” said Bill Monahan, Foreign Policy for America’s Senior Policy Director. “FP4A is grateful to Senators Whitehouse and Cornyn for their leadership and dedication in this space and we look forward to working with Congress to advance this important legislation.”
The legislation is also endorsed by the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition, Global Financial Integrity, Center for International Policy, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), and the International Coalition Against Illicit Economies.
Full text of the bill is available here.
