FACT Welcomes U.S. Congressional Anti-Kleptocracy Caucus Committed to Financial Transparency and Rule of Law



WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Congress announced today the formation of the new, bipartisan Caucus Against Foreign Corruption and Kleptocracy. The caucus – chaired by Reps. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) and John Curtis (R-UT) and vice-chaired by Reps. Bill Keating (D-MA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) – will be a forum to educate and mobilize Members of Congress on cross-cutting domestic and foreign policy reforms to tackle corruption.

“By exploiting U.S. financial secrecy and rule of law protections to hoard their ill-gotten gains of corruption, dictators, kleptocrats, human rights abusers, and other officials are undermining democratic norms, derailing economic development, and ultimately jeopardizing U.S. national security,” said Erica Hanichak, government affairs director of the FACT Coalition. “In passing the bipartisan Corporate Transparency Act earlier this year, Congress took a major step to uncover the ownership of anonymous U.S. shell companies, which to-date, has been one of the biggest vulnerabilities of the U.S. financial system. The Caucus Against Foreign Corruption and Kleptocracy has an opportunity to capitalize on this momentum and advance other measures to promote transparency and rule of law.”

The announcement of the bipartisan Caucus coincides this week with the first test of the Administration’s foreign policy pillar around anti-corruption on the international stage, namely the UN General Assembly Special Session Against Corruption. The G7 Summit in the United Kingdom will follow soon thereafter.

“The United States has publicly committed to playing a leadership role on anti-corruption issues, and the Administration should work with bipartisan allies in the Caucus Against Foreign Corruption and Kleptocracy to deliver on its promises,” said Ms. Hanichak.

Other founding members of the caucus include Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN), Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI), Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI), Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL), and Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL).

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Notes to Editor:

• Click here to learn more about the caucus and view an invitation to the June 10 caucus launch event, “Putting Kleptocracy in the Crosshairs,” hosted in conjunction with the U.S. Helsinki Commission.
• Click here for the FACT Coalition’s roadmap for implementing the Corporate Transparency Act.
• Click here for an online version of this release.