Should AIPAC be forced to register under FARA?

NO- Liam Sauer (Editor-In-Chief)

America the brave, America the beautiful, America… the corrupt? America, a country that defies its own unbelievable democratic standards by being soured by scandals of corruption [look to donor influence over any and every election]. 

And so, as life takes its natural course, people start pointing fingers. What is destroying our democracy? Populists on both sides of the aisle have agreed, as they always do. 

The enemy to our liberty is the outside, the influence of other nations; the enemy to our freedom… It's AIPAC!!!

I want to make it clear. I don’t think that foreign governments should have involvement in our government; but that is plainly not what AIPAC is. 

AIPAC, like every lobbying group, is funded by private AMERICAN donors trying to make a change in American policy. It falls completely out of the guidelines of FARA. 

When talking about an agent of a foreign principal [what AIPAC is alleged to be for Israel], FARA is extremely clear. “The term ‘agent of a foreign principal’ means any person who acts as an agent, representative, employee, or servant, or any person who acts in any other capacity at the order, request, or under the direction or control, of a foreign principal or of a person any of whose activities are directly or indirectly supervised, directed, controlled, financed, or subsidized in whole or in major part by a foreign principal.”

None of these qualifications apply to AIPAC. It is an independent organization, representing beliefs held by Americans, just like any other lobbying group. 

Lobbying groups represent essentially every single interest group in the country. INCLUDING, the interest of a very sizable population of Americans [39 percent of voters according to a New York Times/Siena Poll in September] who support American involvement and aid to Israel. It’s no different than any other group that influences US politics. Whether it is the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Research and Manufacturers of America, The National Rifles Association (NRA), and I think most significantly in this context, The American Ukraine PAC and American Muslims for Palestine- they all represent American interest groups who want to influence policy. 

To act like America and its relation and aid to foreign governments isn’t a core part of our place as a nation is ignorant bliss. There is a reason that foreign policy comes up during the election cycle: We are actively ingrained in the rest of the world!

The new, short-sighted, regime of MAGA isolationists will have you believe otherwise. But what happens in Ukraine, what happens in the Middle East, affects America. We have a vested interest in the safety of our allies in Western Europe, just as much as we do in the stability of the Middle East. 

This is not a support of what AIPAC is doing. It’s a support for its right to exist. There is a reason that we have lobbying in the United States. It’s so that individuals with beliefs on our government’s action at home and abroad can have a represented voice. Without lobbies, issues would be completely slumped under the rug by politicians who simply have other interests. 

My biggest fear is that if we label every lobbying group that focuses on our policy towards other nations as Foreign Actors, what happens? Do we really think that integral Ukrainian support, which is increasingly plummeting among politicians, will actually continue in congress if there is no American Ukraine PAC? 

Even if you despise AIPAC, you have to acknowledge that there is a place in our democracy for groups–in the minority or not–advocating for a cause. 

I wholeheartedly agree that lobbying has too far of a reach in our government. I agree with restrictions on how much PACs can invest in politicians. I believe in reforming how much organizations can influence our elections. But that’s a different question. 

Putting AIPAC under FARA goes against the law. And, I think if those that want to are being honest with themselves, it’s ideological disingenuous. If you support our right to have a voice in our democracy, even if you are against the actions of Israel, you don’t support AIPAC being put under FARA. 

YES- Arturo Singer Portnoy (Staff Writer)

What if the greatest threat to American democracy isn’t an enemy abroad, but a lobby at home? The Foreign Agents Registration Act was written to protect American democracy from foreign interference. Yet one group with unparalleled influence on U.S. foreign policy—AIPAC—has been avoiding it for decades. It raises a simple yet powerful question: why does AIPAC fit the very definition of what FARA was designed to cover?

AIPAC must be registered under FARA because its financial influence distorts democratic choice, its power is built on exploiting loopholes, and the outcomes it funds—from endless war to human suffering—are devastating.

To me, this isn’t just about left versus right. It's about whether American citizens get the right to really know who is shaping our laws. I don’t want foreign governments, no matter who they are, pulling strings in secret—especially when those strings make our democracy dance for someone else. That’s exactly why AIPAC’s status matters so much. On paper, it looks like just another American lobbying group. In reality, it operates in ways that align far too closely with the Israeli government. If we allow that influence to stay hidden behind technicalities and loopholes, we aren’t protecting democracy but letting it fall apart. 

In 2024, AIPAC reported spending only a couple million dollars on direct lobbying, but when you factor in its PAC and Super PAC, the total influence effort soared to over $100 million. That kind of money shapes who gets to compete in elections, not just policy itself. This amount of influence sickens me; imagine being a congressman who wants to speak out against the Israeli government, but knowing that if he or she does, AIPAC will do everything in their power to make sure they do not get re-elected. Not only does AIPAC spend money funding the campaigns of those who support Israel, but they also give an added amount of money to the opponents of candidates who are critical of Israeli policy.  One of the clearest examples of the loopholes AIPAC exploits is its nonprofit arm, the American Israel Education Foundation, or AIEF. As a registered lobbying group, AIPAC cannot, by law, pay for congressional travel, but AIEF can—and does. For decades, it has funded trips that send lawmakers and their families to Israel for week-long tours shaped by Israeli officials. On paper, of course, these are “educational seminars,” but in practice they’re a way to sidestep lobbying rules and cement relationships that benefit Israel’s agenda. According to Washington Report on Middle Eastern Affairs, “These trips are one-sided, focusing on Israeli priorities and perceptions.”

The most troubling outcome of AIPAC’s influence is where U.S. aid ends up. Since Oct 7th, 2023, the United States has provided Israel with over $17.9 billion in military aid, bolstering Israel's military capabilities and enabling actions that human rights groups and the U.N. have condemned for high civilian casualties and widespread destruction of infrastructure. As someone who is Jewish, this weighs on me deeply. I was raised to value justice and humanity, and I feel an obligation to confront hard truths. Loving my heritage does not mean ignoring suffering. In fact, it gives me a responsibility to speak out when policies carried out in my community’s name lead to war crimes and cycles of violence. As I see it, standing silent means betraying both my values and the facts. 

AIPAC often defends itself by pointing to its five million grassroots members, saying this proves it speaks for Americans. But the numbers, as expected, tell a different story. Polls consistently show that most Americans disagree with American military intervention in the Middle East, and American Jews overwhelmingly oppose core neoconservative foreign policy principles, the very principles AIPAC endorses. So, if only a minority of Americans support AIPAC’s positions, how can the group claim its PACs give Americans a voice? In reality, it amplifies the voice of a narrow, well-funded minority.

This is why putting AIPAC under the Foreign Agents Registration Act is not optional—it’s necessary. It is imperative to remember that FARA wouldn’t silence the American Israel Public Affairs Committee; it would simply force transparency, exposing the foreign ties and political activity that shape U.S. policy behind closed doors.