Congress tightens revolving door for defense and State Department officials

What it does

This bill closes a 'revolving door' by prohibiting former State Department and Defense Department employees who worked on foreign military sales from lobbying the federal government on those same matters for three years after they leave office. Violators face criminal penalties under existing law (section 216 of title 18). The bill protects the public interest by preventing officials from immediately cashing in on their government access and insider knowledge to influence the same programs they just administered.

Why we flagged it

The bill's sole operative mechanism is a criminal prohibition on post-employment lobbying by former officials in a specific sector (foreign military sales). It is a straightforward ethics/accountability measure with no hidden riders or private carve-outs.

What the text implies

• The 3-year cooling-off period applies only to those who 'participated in any program, project, or activity' relating to FMS during their final 3 years of employment — narrower than a blanket ban on all former State/DoD employees, but may create disputes over what counts as 'participation.'
• The bill requires proof of 'intent to influence any Federal determination' — a subjective element that may complicate enforcement and create litigation risk around what constitutes prohibited intent.
• Foreign military sales decisions often involve classified information and geopolitical sensitivity; the bill does not explicitly address whether former employees may lobby on FMS matters if they do not disclose or rely on classified knowledge, leaving a potential loophole.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill strengthens anti-corruption safeguards by closing a known revolving-door pathway that allows officials to immediately leverage their government access and classified knowledge for private lobbying gain. Citizens benefit from reduced conflicts of interest in foreign military sales decisions, which involve billions in arms transfers and national security implications.

Named in the bill

State Department, Department of Defense, Federal Government, Congress, Arms Export Control Act (chapter 2), 18 U.S.C. § 207, 18 U.S.C. § 216

Where it stands

6 cosponsors: 4 Democrats, 2 Republicans.

• May 23, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• May 23, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

1 lobbying clients named this bill on 2 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $70,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 26 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.

Warren Davidson, the sponsor, reported $281,400 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Transparency International U.S. (a Project of the Fund for Constitutional Govt) — $70,000 on 2 filings

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 17, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.