REVOKE Act
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The REVOKE Act (Restricting Ex-Vetted Officials from Knowledge Exploitation Act) mandates that former Department of Defense personnel lose their security clearances if they lobby on behalf of Chinese military companies. It targets retired or separated military members and former civilian DoD employees who engage in lobbying activities for entities designated as Chinese military companies by the Treasury Department.
Who Benefits and How
U.S. national security interests benefit by reducing the risk that former defense insiders share sensitive knowledge with Chinese military-linked entities. Competing U.S. defense contractors may benefit as Chinese military companies lose access to experienced American lobbyists with security clearances. The general public benefits from stronger safeguards against potential foreign influence in defense policy.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Retired military personnel and former DoD civilian employees face new career restrictions, as they must choose between maintaining security clearances and lucrative lobbying work for Chinese firms. Lobbying firms specializing in foreign clients face reduced business opportunities. Chinese military-industrial companies lose access to well-connected American advocates who could navigate the U.S. regulatory and procurement landscape.
Key Provisions
- Mandates revocation or suspension of security clearances for former DoD personnel lobbying for designated Chinese military companies
- Applies to entities on both the DoD Chinese Military Company list and Treasury's Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies List
- Includes a 180-day waiver provision if the Secretary of Defense certifies it serves national security interests
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires the Secretary of Defense to revoke or suspend security clearances for former DoD personnel who engage in lobbying activities on behalf of Chinese military companies
Key Policy Areas
National Security, Defense, Foreign Relations, Lobbying Regulation
Primary Purpose
Requires the Secretary of Defense to revoke or suspend security clearances for former DoD personnel who engage in lobbying activities on behalf of Chinese military companies
Policy Domains
Section 2 - Revocation of Security Clearances for Certain Persons
Identified Gains
- U.S. national security apparatus
- U.S. defense industry
- Counter-espionage efforts
Identified Costs
- Former DoD employees who lobby for Chinese military companies
- Lobbying firms representing Chinese military companies
- Chinese military-industrial companies
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Cornyn (for himself and Mr. Whitehouse) introduced the following …
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
Introduced in Senate
Impact analysis is available but no clear stakeholder effects identified. View clause-level analysis →
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Defense
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Has the meaning given in section 101(a) of title 10, United States Code
Has the meaning given in section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1602)
Has the meaning given in section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1602), except that clause (iv) of paragraph (8)(B)(iv) of such section shall not apply
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology