Sponsors (2)
The bill strengthens national security by restricting classified access for former personnel who advocate for listed Chinese military-linked firms and providing a targeted, waiver-capable framework, but it risks chilling lawful post-service advocacy, causing income losses, creating harms from misdesignation, and imposing administrative costs.
Retired or separated service members and DoD civilian employees who would otherwise lobby for Chinese military-linked firms will lose access to classified information, reducing the risk that persons with recent access to secrets can share or be influenced by adversary-linked entities.
Federal employees and former service members face a targeted rule tied to DoD and Treasury entity lists, which narrows prohibitions to firms the government has already identified rather than imposing a broad, ambiguous ban.
The Secretary can grant short-term waivers (up to 180 days) when there is a certified national-security need, allowing flexibility for critical cases where access is necessary despite the rule.
Former service members and DoD civilians may be chilled from participating in lawful lobbying or policy debates out of fear of losing clearances, reducing the pool of experienced experts available to Congress, industry, and public discussion.
Retirees or separated personnel who have their clearances suspended for engaging in covered advocacy could lose significant career opportunities and income tied to post-service employment or consulting.
Tying prohibitions to government-maintained lists risks harm from errors or slow updates—individuals could be restricted or lose clearances because an entity is misdesignated or a designation changes before correction.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced November 18, 2025 by John Cornyn · Last progress November 18, 2025
Suspends or revokes Department of Defense security clearances and access to classified information for retired or separated service members and former DoD civilian employees who engage in lobbying on behalf of companies identified as Chinese military firms on two specific government lists. The Secretary of Defense may grant short-term waivers (up to 180 days) if doing so is certified to be in the national security interest and reported to congressional defense committees.